Between the Land, Sea, and Sky: Some Words on the Art of the Minoan Civilization of Bronze Age Crete

Abstract

Usually, our knowledge of history, society, and culture is based on the written sources. However, the Minoan texts are extremely few. Thus, the Minoan art appears to be almost the only source of our knowledge of the Minoan civilization and culture. This paper attempts to analyze the phenomenon of the Minoan art of Bronze Age Crete. Discovered by A. Evans, the Minoan civilization|an Aegean Bronze Age civilization| ourished on the island of Crete and some other Aegean islands, in particular on Thera/Santorini with its settlement of Akrotiri. For quite a long time, the Minoan civilization had been labeled as peaceful making reference to Minoan Thalassocracy, \Pax Minoica", and a rather small number of forti cations. The lack of written information has given vent to researchers' fantasy and the idea of the Minoan culture as the Golden Age of humanity was not accidental: the Minoan artists portrayed life as a continuous ow of beauty, an endless game, in which eeting emotions and joy become the spring of happiness. Later, the conception of peaceful Minoans was re-evaluated. Evans's reconstructions were subjected to serious criticism from the standpoint of contemporary archeology. However, we can \throw out the baby with the bath water". We do not have to accept everything Evans stated about the Minoans, but we should be grateful for his profound inquiry into the unknown world of the human past. The Minoan art is important for contemporary humans because it draws attention to a harmonious life in the world of here and now; it carries an incredible power of inspiration and beauty; it brings a feeling of lightness, joy and a happy ight of a soul into our lives. And that really matters.