The Minoans: Myth, Minotaurs and the Ceramics of Ancient Crete

Nearly 4,000 years ago, the Minoans flourished on the island of Crete, trading across the Mediterranean and creating some of the most extraordinary ceramics of the Bronze Age. Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh explore a world where myth and archaeology collide – from King Minos, the Minotaur and the labyrinth to the discovery of Knossos. Through monumental storage vessels, exquisite Kamares wares and spectacular octopus jars, they uncover the creativity, power and mysterious decline of one of the ancient world’s great civilisations.

Images in this programme: Image off map of Crete, Greece and TurkeyTerracotta vase in the form of a bull's head ca 1450 – 1400 BCE, The Met Collection Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/Sir Arthur Evans 1851- 1941 at Knossos Photograph of Knossos, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Reconstruction of KnossosBull-Leaping Fresco found at Knossos ,1450 BC,Linear A inscription on a clay tablet from Hagia Triada, Crete, ca 2100 – 1450 BCLinear B Tablet from Knossos, ca 1375 – 1350 BCProcession fresco, Knossos; reconstructed by Émile Gilliéron from the late Minoan period, CC 4.0 Minoan pithos Storage jars at the Palace of Knossos, ca 1700 BCE Large scale Caskets “bath tubs” and storage units, c.1750 BCE Terracotta beak-spouted jar, Vasiliki ware, 2600-2200 BCE, The Met Collection Terracotta bridge spouted jar, Minoan ware, 1900-1600 BCE, The Met Collection Kamares Ware Jug, Protopalatial period (2100-1700 BCE). Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Kamares Ware Jug, Heraklion Museum, by Wolfgang Sauber, CC Kamares wares in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion ca 1900 - 1700 BCE photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC 1.0 license Kamares wares jugs, Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, 1900-1700 BCE, CC 3.0 Octopus Flask ca 1500 – 1450 BCE, Furman University, 3.0 Mycenaean-Minoan Ware, c. 1450, courtesy of Paul Greenhalgh Terracotta jar with three handles ca 1525 – 1490 BCE,The MetCollectionTerracotta stirrup jam with Octopus Helladic, Mycenaean, c.1200-1100 BCE, The Met Collection