Chapter 54: The Fall of Cretan Civilization

readx;? People eat fish, meat, and many kinds of vegetables, and drink wine and beer. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. biquge。 The utensils used in the info kitchen, dining table and luxury goods show a myriad of changes in appearance and function. Personal items such as brooches, pins, razors, tweezers, etc.; Everyday furniture, such as utensils made of a variety of materials, from huge storage jars to tiny ointment bottles, and kitchen utensils such as thrones, chairs, tables, etc., are carefully crafted to fit the human body. It is made of a variety of materials, from obsidian and other hard stones in the early days to terracotta and bronze. Crete has a history of large-scale olive and wine culture.

Chariots appear in the final stages, and there are pictures on Cretan clay tablets that show that people mastered the use of horses. Many roads are paved with sidewalks. Sports with more or less religious overtones are also often represented in works of art, especially bullfighting, dance, boxing, and military fighting.

After 1900 BC, the artefacts throughout the region showed a striking consistency due to the establishment of the Minoan dynasty, and the development of local pottery almost completely ceased in favor of uniform manufacturing and decoration styles from all regions. The Cretans emerged from the decline of the previous period due to the warring of the princes and returned to the path of steady development. They developed in stages a more convenient and expressive writing system, the linear script B.

The art of the whole region presents a unified spirit and pattern, and in religion they exhibit the same anthropomorphic style as well as the same ritual utensils. Objects produced in one place are found in others.

The religion of Cretan civilization entered the stage of idolatry. Its religious form provided the first samples for the later religions of Syria and Asia Minor in Western Asia.

The Cretans worshipped one goddess, perhaps several. The most unmistakable goddess is the "mistress of the animals," who has a twin brother, the "male master of the animals." But he's not that important. She is a huntress and is the origin of Artemis in ancient Greek legend. She or another goddess is also a mother, and the only male goddess is her young son, except for the "male master of the animals." It represents the fertility that is closely related to human beings. The goddess sometimes appears with the dove representing Ouranos (heaven) and sometimes with the serpent representing Chongnik (earth).

The Cretans, like the Egyptians, believed in life after death, and as in Egypt, they believed that after death, there was a reward and punishment for what one did during life. But on the whole, from the point of view of Cretan art, it seems that they were a merry people, not greatly oppressed by gloomy superstitions. They love bullfighting, where female fighters perform amazing stunts just like male fighters. Half-ox is a religious ritual, and the half-ox belongs to the highest nobility. The pictures that have been handed down are very vivid and realistic.

Sacred objects, such as objects used in religious ceremonies and their models, often figurines, played a large role: all plants and animals were sacred, and people used sacrifices (non-human, not burned), all forms of tribute and simulacrum, possession, and other religious practices. The deceased, as the person of the Great Mother, is an object of hero worship. This early nature worship explains many of the anomalies in ancient Greek religion, especially those of Artemis and Aphrodite.

The Aegean region's influence grew and spread far and wide, for example, trade with Egypt was very considerable, and Aegean objects and their imitations could be found in Syria, in the interior of Asia Minor, and in the central and western regions of the Mediterranean: Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain. There is no doubt that a powerful force had developed firmly in the middle of the Aegean Sea, and the whole region was under its political, social and artistic influence.

This power is located in Crete, but it is constantly energized by the fresh blood of the North, a supplement that is sufficient to stir up fresh ingredients within the civilization, but not yet strong enough to fundamentally change the inner essence of the civilization. There was a more pronounced progress in all art forms, especially sculpture (especially relief works of various sizes), carved stone vessels, and gold, silver, and copper metallurgy.

In 1650 BC, the reign of the "Shepherd King" Xi'an was the heyday of the Minoan Dynasty. The Minoan dynasty of Knossos ruled not only Crete, but also the Cyclades. Knossos, the capital of Crete, has a population of 80,000 and more than 100,000 people in addition to the seaport.

The main body of the city of Knossos is a large and complex palace complex, because it has the most powerful navy at that time, the palace of Knossos is almost free of external troubles, so there are no strong walls and castles, and the appearance is not as tall and magnificent as the palaces in Egypt and other places, and people who walk into it will not feel depressed, but will only be curious and relaxed about its characteristic internal structure.

At this time, various art forms, including frescoes, vessel paintings, and gem carvings, were at the pinnacle of Aegean art, and were not surpassed until 600 BC.

The making, shaping, and painting of glazed pottery, as well as the technique of setting many materials, were no strangers to the Aegean craftsmen, and in their works they showed a strong sense of nature, a quest for idealized images and decorative effects, echoing the same qualities that characterized the best period of late Hellenistic art.

Shaped works, such as stone or ivory carvings, cast or forged metal (gold, silver, bronze and bronze), or models made of clay, glazed pottery, paste, etc.; no large standing statues have been found, but there are many small statues; vases of all kinds, carved in marble or other stone, cast or forged in metal, There are those made of clay, especially the latter, which are of many varieties and in large quantities, decorated with elaborate polychrome motifs, sometimes with decorative shapes, paintings on transparent or opaque stones, a large number of engravings such as rings and precious stones, and a large number of clay impressions reprinted from them.

The architectural decoration has also been greatly developed, and the rich variation of the capitals and bodies of the Aegean columns can be seen in the "Treasures of Atreus" in the British Museum, as evidenced by the Mycenaean and Minoan fragments of the cornice art, as well as Minoan paintings. Fine goldwork from the late period has been preserved in Mycenae and Wafio, and the mention of their names is convincing enough. In conclusion, the achievements of Cretan art in its heyday were by no means inferior to any art of its time.

In 1600 BC, palaces in Knossos and Faistos were destroyed at the same time, due to an unprecedented volcanic eruption on the island of Thera and the resulting tsunami. Later, the Greeks migrated to the deserted island of Crete, where they became the new rulers of Crete, and the Cretan civilization came to an end.

In 1600 BC, a volcano on the island of Thira erupted violently, sending plumes of smoke into the air and ash even drifting into Greenland, China and North America.

The eruption also triggered a tsunami that swept through Crete, more than 100 kilometers from Thira, destroying coastal ports and fishing villages. Moreover, volcanic ash floated in the air for a long time, creating a "nuclear winter" effect similar to that after a nuclear war, resulting in successive crop failures in the following years. As a result, the Cretan civilization suffered a devastating blow and quickly declined.

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