essay

Minoans Art & Architecture

Although the Minoan civilization was eventually destroyed by a tidal wave, the lasting beauty of their art and architecture show a happy, successful people. The Minoans lived in Greece on an island, they were a wealthy society because the arts they would create/do such as frescos, paintings, and there pottery art work.

You could really tell they would take there time and enjoy what they would do because basically all the paintings, and frescos would be on animals and nature. They really liked animals and appreciated them since they live close and basically with those two things around them. My society the Minoans are unique because on there own they would do art pieces like frescos, pottery as I said, and they care for animals. Plus there pottery in the early period ceramics where characterized by linear patterns of spirals, triangles, curved lines, crosses, fishbone motifs. In the middle period it was naturalistic designs such as fish, squid, birds, and lilies. In the late period it was flowers, and animals but the variability had increased so it changed a little. [1]

They succeeded at doing frescos because they would turn out really pretty, and the strong sturdy architecture they would do for example there palaces and columns, the palaces where constructed at the end of the early Minoan period in the third millennium BC; they were built in different locations the oldest palaces only had one story and no representative facades, they were u-shaped with a big central court, and were smaller then the palaces done later on, it would change more and look better.
Then for the columns they would be unique and which were wider at the top than the bottom, creating an illusion of greater height, the columns were also made out of wood and stone and where painted red and they were just put on a simple stone base and topped with a pillow-like round piece as a capital. Another thing they succeeded at was there writing they invented, and they called it Linear A. [2] [3]

I think the Minoans weren’t weak or didn’t need more of, but the only time they were, was when a tidal wave washed out there civilization where they were living at. If they would have done a giant wall to cover then it wouldn’t have happened and with good material, but other then that they would always succeed.

The Assyria and Minoan are much like the same because in a way they both were a wealthy civilization and most alike in a few things. Like the Minoans loved art and appreciated and loved animals to and so did the Assyria they loved to paint and all those, things that have to do with that and they also liked animals but the had this thing for a lion they would appreciate it and it symbolizes like power for them and loyalty, and they were betrayed by the lion. And the Minoans were betrayed by there natural environment they both were betrayed but not by the same thing.
Although the Minoans where destroyed by their own environment they are overall successful because after all that had happened there art and what they did showed happy, the opposite and detailed. How I know is because the water came in and washed out there civilization and did a mess. But even after all those things they did the impossible and did even more then they expected and succeeded at that.
They showed excellence in what they would do and always try or do right, there architecture was sturdy and simple but good quality they invented there own writing which was called Linear A which they would use to communicate with themselves they loved nature and animals, they were successful.

Bibliography

“Minoan Civilization.” 3 Dec. 2009. Wikipedia. 7 Dec. 2009 .

Pellegrino, Charles. Unearthing Atlantis: An Archeologist Odyssey Foreword by Arthur C. Clarke. New York, 1990.

Stolyarov ll, G. “History of Minoan Civilization of Ancient Crete: The Minoan Economy and Government.” AC Associated Content. July 16 2007. Nov. 23 2009. .

Hooker, Richard. “History of the Minoans.” World Civilizations. 1996. Nov. 23 2009. .

Hooker, Richard. “The Palace Civilizations of the Aegean.” World Civilizations. 1996. Nov. 23 2009. .

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[1] “Minoan Civilization.” Wikipedia: Minoan Civilization. 13 Nov 2009. 9 Dec. 2009 .

[2] “Minoan Civilization” Wikipedia: Minoan Civilization. 13 Nov 2009. 9 Dec. 2009 .

[3] “Minoan Civilization” Wikipedia: Minoan Civilization. 13 Nov 2009. 9 Dec. 2009 .