Editing Minoan civilization (section)

{{Short description|Bronze Age civilization on Crete and other Aegean Islands}}
{{Redirect|Minoan}}
{{Infobox archaeological culture
|name        = Minoan civilization
|map         = Map Minoan Crete-en.svg
|mapalt      = 
|majorsites  = [[Knossos]], [[Phaistos]], [[Hagia Triada]], [[Malia (archaeological site)|Malia]], [[Zakros]]
|horizon     = 
|region      = [[Crete]], additional settlements around [[Aegean Sea]]
|period      = [[Aegean civilization|Aegean Bronze Age]]
|dates       = {{circa|3100|1100}}{{nbsp}}BC
|precededby  = [[Neolithic Crete]]
|followedby  = [[Mycenaean Greece]]
}}
{{History of Greece}}
The '''Minoan civilization''' was a [[Bronze Age]] culture which was centered on the island of [[Crete]]. Known for its monumental architecture and [[Minoan art|energetic art]], it is often regarded as the first civilization in Europe. The ruins of the [[Minoan palace]]s at [[Knossos]] and [[Phaistos]] are popular tourist attractions.

The Minoan civilization developed from the local [[Neolithic Crete|Neolithic]] culture around 3100{{nbsp}}BC, with complex urban settlements beginning around 2000{{nbsp}}BC. After {{circa}}{{nbsp}}1450{{nbsp}}BC, they came under the cultural and perhaps political domination of the mainland [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean Greeks]], forming a hybrid culture which lasted until around 1100{{nbsp}}BC.

Minoan art included elaborately decorated [[Minoan pottery|pottery]], [[Minoan seals|seals]], [[figurine]]s, and colorful [[fresco]]es. Typical subjects include nature and ritual. Minoan art is often described as having a fantastical or ecstatic quality, with figures rendered in a manner suggesting motion. 

Little is known about the structure of Minoan society. Minoan art contains no unambiguous depiction of a monarch, and textual evidence suggests they may have had some other form of governance. Likewise, it is unclear whether there was ever a unified Minoan state. Religious practices included worship at [[peak sanctuaries]] and [[Sacred caves of Crete|sacred caves]], but nothing is certain regarding their [[pantheon (religion)|pantheon]]. The Minoans constructed enormous labyrinthine buildings which their initial excavators labeled [[Minoan palaces]]. Subsequent research has shown that they served a variety of religious and economic purposes rather than being royal residences, though their exact role in Minoan society is a matter of continuing debate. 

The Minoans traded extensively, exporting agricultural products and luxury crafts in exchange for raw metals which were difficult to obtain on Crete. Through traders and artisans, their cultural influence reached beyond Crete to the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. Minoan craftsmen were employed by foreign elites, for instance to paint [[Minoan frescoes from Tell el-Daba|frescoes at Avaris]] in Egypt.

The Minoans developed two [[writing system]]s known as [[Cretan hieroglyphs]] and [[Linear A]]. Because neither script has been fully [[decipherment|deciphered]], the identity of the [[Minoan language]] is unknown. Based on what is known, the language is regarded as unlikely to belong to a well-attested [[language family]] such as [[Indo-European]] or [[Semitic languages|Semitic]]. After 1450 BC, a modified version of Linear A known as [[Linear B]] was used to write [[Mycenaean Greek]], which had become the language of administration on Crete. The [[Eteocretan language]] attested in a few post-Bronze Age inscriptions may be a descendant of the Minoan language.

Largely forgotten after the [[Late Bronze Age collapse]], the Minoan civilization was rediscovered in the early twentieth century through [[archaeology|archaeological excavation]]. The term "Minoan" was coined by [[Arthur Evans]], who excavated at Knossos and recognized it as culturally distinct from the mainland Mycenaean culture. Soon after, [[Federico Halbherr]] and [[Luigi Pernier]] excavated the [[Palace of Phaistos]] and the nearby settlement of [[Hagia Triada]]. A major breakthrough occurred in 1952, when [[Michael Ventris]] deciphered Linear B, drawing on earlier work by [[Alice Kober]]. This decipherment unlocked a crucial source of information on the economics and social organization in the final year of the palace. Minoan sites continue to be excavated, recent discoveries including the [[necropolis]] at [[Armeni_(archaeological_site)|Armeni]] and the harbour town of [[Kommos (Crete)|Kommos]].