HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 1

MINOAN ARCHITECTURAL INFLUENCES

MINOAN ARCHITECTURE 2
GREEK ARCHITECTURE 650-30 BC
HISTORICAL
AEGEAN CIVILIZATION

• Geography –mountainous character of Greece

• Started in Crete thousands of surrounded by sea produced strong sea-
years faring men engaged in maritime business
• ago before Greek civilization • Hinterlands made communications difficult.
reached its peak
• The Aegean culture reached
Greece and engaged in trade in
the eastern Mediterranean,
Asia minor, Cyprus, Syria,
Palestine, Egypt and Libya.
• When the Aegean culture
crumbled, colonists helped in
forming Greece of classical
times.

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Historical
1100 BC The third attack of Crete by
Aegean
the Dorian Greeks almost destroyed the
3 cultures of Aegean civilization Aegean culture
The Aegean fled to neighboring coast,
1. Minoans-Crete
Asia Minor, and build new cities and
2. Mycenaean's-Greece colonize other cities.
3. Cycladic-Cyclades Island
Aegean period
3000 BC -Aegean people move from
Asia minor to Crete and mingled
with the original inhabitants
2000 BC-Aegeans penetrated the
mainland which five hundred years
later were invaded by the people
from the north
1600-1400 BC -whole Aegean culture
reached its peak. Another severe
attack by the northern Greek tribe.

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MINOAN CIVILIZATION
3500- 2100 BC early Minoan PRE- 1600 BC -LATE Minoan palatial
PALATIAL PERIOD
Eruption of Mt. Thera destroyed the
• Center of commerce cities
• Upper class were influential-
involved in political affairs
Rebuild the palaces with several
• Local elites replaced by monarchies differences in function
–pre-condition in palace building
1900 -1700 BC- Neopalatial
• earthquake destroyed the palaces at
Knossos, Malia and Kato Zakros.
• Marked the beginning of neo-
palatial
• Increase in population
• Rebuilding of larger settlement
• Palaces were rebuild in grander scale
• Golden age of the Minoan
civilization

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GEOGRAPHICAL
• Crete is at the center of
the eastern
Mediterranean at the
crossroads of Africa,
Asia, and Europe.
• measures about 200 Km
from east to west, and
between 12 to 58 Km
from north to south at
its narrowest and widest
distances,
• one of the largest
islands in the
Mediterranean sea.

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Climatic
• Short mild winter and dry
warm summer
• The good climate favored
outdoor life-outdoor
activities such as public
ceremonies, dramatic
presentations, public
administrations were done
outdoor.
• The climate together with
love for conversations
brought about the
constructions of porticoes
and colonnades.

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Religious AEGEANS
• Rhea or Hera -Supreme deity or
the goddess of fertility , mother
goddess
Other goddesses
• Posidaeja: Grandmother
Ocean, out of whose waters Double axes in stone
the beautiful island of Crete (labrys)-women power-
rises. ... used by priestess and
divinities indicated
• Therasia: The very ancient but matriarchal society
new-to-us Minoan sun Snake
goddess. ... goddess

• Ourania: Great Cosmic

Mother-of-All
• Minoan Society was
matriarchal
• Had only minor male deities

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RELIGIOUS
• Worship done in open air, small
chapel, caves
• Religious festivals, sacred games,
dances were part of the religious
activities.
• “Aegean's believed in nature Bull-leaping A Minoan religious ritual
worship
• worship divinities conceived in
human form represented by small
idols, rocks, stone pillars, and all
sorts of trees and animals.
• Sacred bull –represented
mysteries of masculine forms.

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 ECONOMIC

• Sea traders GOVERNMENT

• Farmers-raised cattle and farm products Monarchy supported by bureaucracy
• Raised domesticated bees
• Wine making
• Practice polyculture
• Use of wooden plow
• Saffron trader
• Ceramics trader

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SOCIAL
• In Crete -Arts and crafts pottery
• Wrestling, boxing, gymnastics,
bull-leaping associated with
religious rituals , were Greeks’ past
time.

• Writings known as Linear A were

not yet deciphered

Phaestus disc
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SOCIAL
• Women were active in the social life.
Participated in hunting, and strenuous games,
craftwork and worship
• High degree of social organization
• Archeologist believed that the society was
matriarchal due to the many female figures
on the fresco painting

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