Minoan art

Minoan art. A term applied to the art of ancient Crete, particularly that produced from c.3000 bc to c.1100 bc. The term was first used in 1894 by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, who, from 1898 to 1935, conducted extensive excavations at Crete, principally at Knossos, where the royal palace he uncovered was named the Palace of Minos (hence Minoan) after the legendary king of Crete. Minoan civilization is in many ways mysterious (Minoan scripts have not been deciphered), but it must have been settled and sophisticated, for the palace at Knossos is immense and entirely without fortification. Apart from architecture, Minoan art survives in sculpture, pottery, and wall painting, often featuring highly spirited depictions of animals, particularly the bull, which had ritual significance (the best collection is in the Archaeological Museum at Heraklion in Crete). Minoan civilization is believed to have been destroyed partly by earthquake and partly by invasion, and by about 1100 bc Minoan art had been absorbed into the tradition of the mainland.