LESSON 4.3 Who were the Minoans and Mycenaeans?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to describe the Minoans — the ýrst ancient Greek civilisation — and the Mycenaeans who conquered them around 1375 BCE.
Tune in The sculptures shown in SOURCE1 have been dated to the time of the ýrst ancient Greek civilisation, the Minoans. 1. Why do you think they would have sculpted the heads of bulls? 2. Consider what signiýcance bulls might have had for them.
SOURCE1 Ancient Minoan sculptures of bulls
4.3.1 Minoan civilisation Civilisation in Greece began before 3000 BCE on Crete, the largest Greek island. Archaeologist, Arthur Evans, found Minoan cities and named them after King Minos. By 2500 BCE, the Minoans built towns and made bronze tools, weapons and pottery. Their main city, Knossos, had walls with pictures of athletes on wild bulls (see SOURCE2 ). The Minoans traded by sea with Egypt and Syria and used a writing that modern language experts have called Linear A, which disappeared around 1450 BCE. Later, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes destroyed their cities.
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Name the type of artwork mentioned in the source. What does this name mean? 2. Where was this artwork found? 3. Describe the activity that the Minoan men and women are doing in the painting.
SOURCE2 A fresco (wall painting) from Knossos showing young Minoan men and women leaping on the back of a bull
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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