Cretan Mycenaean culture was discovered through the study of ancient Greek myths and the immortal poems of Homer. Following them, G. Schliemann and A. Evans revealed to the world the amazing treasures of the ancient world, which for a long time were considered myths. A special place among the monuments of this ancient culture is occupied by the tombs of Mycenae and the Palace of Knossos.
Minos Palace
The cities of Crete are famous for their ancient palaces. Archaeologists have discovered their ruins in Knossos, Gurnia, Festus, Mali and Kato Zaro. But the most outstanding monument of Cretan architecture was the palace of Minos, located in Knossos. For many, the Cretan-Mycenaean culture is associated with this particular structure. His story is inextricably linked with the legends of the half-man, the half-dead Minotaur, King Minos and the Greek hero Theseus.
The area of the Knossos Palace was 16 thousand m². It was a complex pile of different rooms, so it seemed to the Greeks a “maze” from which it was impossible to get out. The palace of Minos was erected in 2 thousand BC It was built over several centuries. In the center of the building was a vast courtyard, which had a cult purpose. Numerous rooms adjoined to it with verandas, colonnades, galleries, stairs and pools.
The front rooms included large and small "throne" halls and rooms of worship. In the female part there was a treasury, a reception room, bathrooms and many other rooms. The palace had a sewer network serving the bathrooms, pools and latrines. How original was the Crete-Mycenaean culture can be understood by studying the details of the Knossos palace. In particular, here you can see amazing “irrational” columns. In most of the buildings of the ancient peoples, the columns expanded downward, and in the palace of Minos, on the contrary, narrowed. In addition, they were decorated with a zigzag pattern. Inside the walls of the palace were covered with colorful images and ornaments in the form of flexible spiral curls or waves.
Tombs of Mycenae
Mycenaean culture stands out for its funeral art. So, not far from the Mycenaean palace is the royal necropolis, built in the 16th century BC. e. It consists of several shaft tombs in which members of the royal family were buried. Most tombs have a rectangular shape. They found stylized golden masks that convey the features of the rulers of Mycenae. The
mask of Agamemnon, one of the
main characters of the Iliad , gained world fame
. Also found were female diadem with a wide ribbon and high beams. Their ornament testified to the connection of the Mycenaean queens with the luminous gods.
In Mycenaean tombs, archaeologists found bronze daggers with handles inlaid with various designs. In particular, hunting scenes, waterfowl, running lions, starry sky. In addition, gold seal rings were discovered. It is also worth remembering the vessels of gold, electra and silver. The Achaeans considered such vessels the key to the future revival of the deceased. Some of them are made in the form of an animal or a bull horn.
Despite huge achievements in various fields, the Cretan-Mycenaean culture, like many others, became a victim of degradation. Modern scholars attribute its weakening to an unknown disaster that occurred between 1250 and 1190. BC e.