The Minoans is an interesting civilisation if you think about it, well I mean this is only my first day of 8 here in Crete but I have already learnt so much about the history of the Minoans. A few things that I have learnt so far is that the Minoan civilization enhanced in the Middle Bronze Age, on the island of Crete which is situated in the eastern Mediterranean. With their exclusive art and architecture, the Minoans made a momentous contribution to the elaboration of the western part of the European civilisation as it is known today.
Blog #2
Today is my second day here in Crete and it is absolutely amazing, like I can see what they mean about the Minoan civilization being remarkable for its great cities and palaces. The Minoans comprehensive trade during the Levant and beyond, and the use of writing. The Minoans cultured art included elaborate seals, pottery and, above all the delicate and vibrant frescoes which are found on the palace walls. Among the most familiar designs of the Minoan art are the snake, symbols of the goddess, and the bull. The procedural of bull-leaping, found on cult vases, seems to have had a religious basis. These frescoes display both secular and religious scenes, such as magical gardens, monkeys, and wild goats or fancifully dressed goddesses that testify to the Minoans’ predominantly matriarchal religion.
Blog #3
I am now on my third day here in Crete and it is the most inspiring place that I have ever been to. It has the most astonishing palaces you will ever see and the history behind them is really quite amazing. The Minoan palaces played a dynamic role in all of the activities of the Minoan civilisation, adjusting to multiple demands with numerous purposes. In addition to their use as the residence of the royal family and other elites, the priesthood (with the king himself as archpriest) and officials, the palaces did not close their doors to the citizens.
Blog #4
It is now my fourth day and as the days are rolling by I am learning more than I could ever imagine. A little something about Crete is that it became the foremost site of Bronze Age culture in the Aegean Sea, and in fact it was the first centre of high civilization in that area, beginning at the end of the 3rd millennium BC. Reaching its peak about 16OO BC and the later 15th century.
Blog #5
Day 5 and today I learnt about the language of the Minoan people. The Minoan language is the language (or languages) of the ancient Minoan civilization of Crete written in the Cretan hieroglyphs and later in the Linear A syllabary. As the Cretan hieroglyphs are undeciphered and Linear A only partly deciphered, the Minoan language is unknown and unclassified: indeed, with the existing evidence, it seems impossible to be certain that the two scripts record the same language, or even that a single language is recorded in each. The Eteocretan language, attested in a few alphabetic inscriptions from Crete 1OOO years later, is possibly a descendant of Minoan, but it is itself unclassified.
Blog #6
Today I learnt about the food and drinks. The Cretan food and diet is considered today to be the ideal diet which ensures good health and long life. In the 195O’s, the international scientific community discovered how healthy Crete people were and concluded it was due to their diet. Today it is generally agreed that people who live on Crete and eat according to the traditional ways have less chance of suffering from heart disease, even when compared to other Mediterranean countries. The main differences are that Cretans typically eat twice as much fruit as other Europeans, a quarter less meat and more pulses. Cretan food is different from other types of cuisine because it does not try to mix flavours, even though various ingredients are used to make daily dishes. Each ingredient retains its identity and taste as part of the gastronomical composition. This then means that no ingredient blurs the flavour of another. Food is important on Crete: it’s simple, basic, without over spicing. In areas where animals are bred, such as the mountainous regions in Khania, dairy products play an important role in the food. Pies filled with myzithra (a cheese made from ewes milk), meat and yoghurt dishes provide wonderful variations of staple foods.