The Minoans

Essay by AUx4University, Bachelor'sB, May 2010

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ANT 350 - Ancient Civilizations Prof. Susan Smiley T2 essay mcu4 - p� PAGE �3�

The Minoans were an ancient civilization that inhabited the island of Crete during the Bronze Age from 3000 BC to 1000 BC. The civilization was named after an early mythological leader named King Minos (Encyclopedia.com: 2008). Through research and artifact findings of this early society, archaeologists have been able to conclude that the Minoans were an advanced group of people with complex engineering abilities. They have also been able to find a correlation between the Minoans and the lost civilization the Greek philosopher Plato wrote about called Atlantis. Is the Minoan civilization actually the "true" Atlantis, or is the evidence too minimal to determine an exact match?

Archaeologist Arthur Evans uncovered a palace complex and evidence of a historically advanced society in the archaeological dig location called Knossos. Evans along with others pieced together the discoveries to include buildings, art, bowls, and pottery, which told the story of this destroyed culture they called the Minoan Civilization (Smiley 2010:unit 7).

The dig also revealed an amazing water flow system that carried waste and water away from the palace. The Minoans were thought to be experienced in some sort of mining as they used gypsum; a form of crystal in the walls of their structures. The gypsum had to have been dug or cut out from the areas hillside. There is evidence that bronze tools may have been used in the mining in order to slice the pieces of earth that were hauled to the palace for construction (Smiley 2010:unit 7).

The Minoan Civilization is thought to have been demolished by a devastating Tsunami somewhere between 1628 BC and 1700 BC. The tsunami was a result of the great volcanic eruption on the island of...