cc100jr@gitpyr.UUCP (09/17/86)
The Minoan civilization existed from about 4000 BP to about 3000 BP and was
centralized on the island of Crete. Compared to the rest of the Mediteranean
cultures at the time, it was amoung the most advanced - on a par with Egypt.
Minoan merchants were the undisputed rulers of the seas during the height of
their civilization. Evidence from archeological digs suggests that their ships
travelled as far away as the Indus valley to the east and Iceland to the north
west.
The Greek myths of king Minos, Daedelus and the Minotaur in the labrynth all
come from the Minoan civilization. The supposed Palace of Minos is considered
to be one of the most significant archeological sites in the Middle East.
The examples of architecture are astounding. There is even a system of plumbing
and a private toilet in the queens chamber.
Evidence from translations and pictographic symbols show that the predominant
form of worship was a Fertility/Earth Mother Goddess. Interestingly enough,
snakes and other serpents figured prominantly in their ceremony. Like Egypt
and the Indus Valley, they viewed snakes in a positive light - as opposed to
the attitudes of western Europe of a later date which used the ultimate
reptilian symbol, the dragon, to represent ultimate evil. Some historians
believe that the marriage between Hera and Zeus symbolized the the coming
together of the Minoan and mainland Greek cultures around 3000 BP. Actually,
it is believed that a major dissaster struck the island of Crete shortly before
this time (thus the reference in an earlier article concerning tidal waves
from the volcanic eruptions of Thera). Some suggest that this is where the
legend of Atlantis developed. At any rate, the weakened remains of the the
Minoan civilization became easy prey for the pirating Greek sailors.
--
Joel Rives
gatech!gitpyr!cc100jr
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There is no place to seek the mind;
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