Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
carving of the statuettes from Parian marble - the famous Cycladic figurines. Cycladic
sculptors are also renowned for their impressive, life-sized
kouroi
(marble statues),
carved during the Archaic period.
Scholars divide the Cycladic civilisation into three periods: Early (3000-2000 BC),
Middle (2000-1500 BC) and Late (1500-1100 BC).
Minoan Civilisation
Named after King Minos, the mythical ruler of Crete (and stepfather of the Minotaur),
the Minoans were Europe's first advanced civilisation. Around 1900 BC the splendid
complex of Knossos was first built (allegedly by Icarus' father, Daedalus), its frescoes,
ventilation shafts, sewerage systems and ambitious designs marking an abrupt accelera-
tion from neolithic life. Through their use of bronze the Minoans were able to build great
sea vessels establishing a formidable profile as sailors and traders, whose reach extended
across Asia Minor and North Africa.
The jury is out on what happened to trigger the demise of this great civilisation. Was it
the tsunami and ash fallout caused by the volcanic eruption in Thira, Santorini in 1500
BC? Or perhaps the invading force of Mycenae?
Mycenaean Civilisation
The decline of the Minoan civilisation coincided with the rise of Mycenae (1600-1100
BC), which reached its peak between 1500 and 1200 BC with mainland city-states like
Corinth, Tiryns (where Heracles was forced to report to collect his famous labours) and
Mycenae. Warrior kings, who measured their wealth in weapons, now ruled from impos-
ing palaces heavily fortified upon hills. The interiors featured impressive frescoes, and
commercial transactions were documented on tablets in Linear B (a form of Greek lan-
guage 500 years older than the Ionic Greek used by Homer). The Mycenaean's most im-
pressive legacy is their magnificent gold masks, refined jewellery and metal ornaments,
the best of which are in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
Homer's classic work, the 'Iliad', written in the 8th century BC, relates in poetic epithet a
mythical episode of the Trojan War. Its sequel, the 'Odyssey', recounts the epic adven-
tures of Odysseus and his companions in their journey home from the Trojan War.
