#Minoans

[metanoias-substack]

Minoan frescoes. The 1600s BC was a great time for fashion.

[memories-of-ancients]

Boar tusk helmet, Minoan, 1450-1400 BC

from The Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete

[gwydpolls]

Time Travel Question 55: Medievalish and Earlier

If you could travel through time, but only to see something for Research or for Fun, not to change anything, what would you pick? Yes, you may have a Babel Fish in your ear to translate.

These Questions are the result of suggestions a the previous iteration. This category may include suggestions made too late to fall into the correct earlier time grouping. In some cases a culture lasted a really long time and I grouped them by whether it was likely the later or earlier grouping made the most sense with the information I had.

Please add new suggestions below if you have them for future consideration. All cultures and time periods welcome.

[katerinaaqu]

Hey there, since you're an archeologist I tought you were the best person I could ask! Do you know something about minoic/mycenean/doric clothes? Like the different kinds that exist and what they're used for or by whom, what kind of fabric are used, what colors, etc,,,

I wanted to design some mythical characters, but I cannot find a reliable source or something detailed about them, so even if you could link me to some page, it would great! (Even if you don't it's no problem, I'm just trying haha)

Thanks ^^

Oh that is a very interesting question and rather wide so I will try to keep it compressed enough so it will not be boring or tiring! Of course the periods are connected to each other and at some point we sure are to expect the styles to co-intricate with each other (for example at several occasions Mycenaeans have very similar iconography as the Minoans -see for example ceremonial images - but as years pass they develop their own style and we see more commonly images with women and men have covered torsos as opposing to the almost always bare chests of minoan men and women.

Now "doric clothes" is a very wide category. As I said Doric Greek tribes descended from the north at around 1100 BC and they stayed ever since in history. Places like north Greece like Macedonia did speak in a Doric Greek dialect. So did the Spartans in the south who are some of the most famous examples of Doric Greek so their clothing depends on the era we talk about.

Of course when it comes to the Minoans (c.a. 3100 BC-1450 BC) we know little on society and such but we have a very rich set of depictions and decorations or statuettes that depict clothing. Men and women in frescoes are generally depicted in a similar manner with the Egyptian counterparts where women are pointed out with white pigment and men with red pigment (distinction that seems very useful in the infamous bull-leaping images where both men and women are dressed in a similar manner so the color differences are needed to point out the two genders (of course there are some professors who debate that fact but this theory is the most prominient one so far), for example I have seen also the suggestion that tan was preferred for men but not for women but I wouldn't be massively convinced on that idea as much but that is up to you.

In sports images like this we see both men and women dressed in this loin-cloth material that leaves the torso bare so they will not get caught to the horns of the bull.

Of course one of the most famous ones is the so-called "Snake Goddess" which depicts a very common set of clothing:

This is what we might call a typical set of clothing for the minoan period from what we know. A classical set is the full skirt with the intricate colorings and patterns, a corset-like garment that puts emphasis on the waist and supports the bodice and a typical short-sleeved top that leaves the breasts open. Although I believe realistically speaking we should expect simpler dresses for the lower clsses of women or that we can assume these types are more official or ceremonial it does seem like the Minoan civilization has less rules for modesty XD. Women had their hair long and arranged in braids or locks (there are even people who estimate that the minoans have some of the earliest depictions of locked hair in history) More often whatnot they arranged their hair with jewelry and from the frescoes we know they had very vibrant colors.

Judging from the coloring patterns and such I would say that woolen materials were used although looming comes in popularity in later years.

Women also wore a variety of accessories in their hair and bodies with beaded necklacess and golden earrings

We have actually some really beautiful examples of golden jewelry from that time

Or the famous "bees" pendant

We can also safely assume that women wore makeup from the fresco discovered in Knossos that was named "Parisian girl" because of her red lipstick and jewelry

Now men also have very vibrant colors but by n large they are depicted bare-chested wearing usally skirts or loincloths around their waists as they perform their activities

We see intricate geometric patterns in some of their clothes and we see they keep their hair also long and carefully arranged. We also see them most of the time clean-shaven and we do discover blades that we estimate they were used as razors so it seems that shaving played a big part in their culture. For men we do not see so vibrant depictions of jewelry but we do discover impressive sigil rings in their tomb. And of course there is the infamous "Prince with the Lillies"

Of course this representation was initially suggested by Arthur Evans and there is little to no guarantee that this is how it really looked like (the hat in particular has been commented by recent professors I interracted with, with a female type of hat) but it still remains a famous depiction to this day. The loin cloth that he is wearing resembles the bull fighters

Now do I believe it is possible they had warmer clothing for winter? Absolutely even if we do not see as cold climates in southern Greece especially at those times I believe one could assume some warmer garment to be worn but unfortunately is hard to tell from iconography only.

The Mycenaeans (c.a. 1700s BC-1100 BC) as I said before do have a very similar iconography to the Minoan times but later on they establish their own style. We do have processions such as the one discovered in the palace of Pylos in whic the procession of women is dressed up in an identical fashion with the minoan counterparts:

There seems to be the suggestion though that this kind of garments were mostly used by the elite class and/or for ceremonial purposes instead of everyday life. Which seems to be supported by the fact that we usually see heavily decorated women walk in processions. Instead we see more and more women covering their chests with bodices or with the dress itself such as below:

And this is a possible reconstruction:

We also see a variety of hairstyles like the one above with ladies wear their hair either in long locks or brushed like we saw before or gathered up in smaller buns and arrangements like the lady above. Other clothing such as this suggestion from Mycenae show even intriquette shawls or robes such as these:

Other chitons that have longer sleeves seem to be painted upon mycenaean statuettes as well.

With accessories we see also jewelry of gold or beads and on makeup we see examples of these rosettes or circular patterns on faces of women. I really like this project that seems to try and reconstruct Helen based on Mycenaean images:

and the use of the woman head depiction for the makeup. Headbands crowns or impressive plummed hats were also a thing

Men are quite similar and at the beginning they do resemble the minoan style but now there seems to be a turn towards hunting and war scene iconographically

where we see a variety of shields and weapons such as spears or bows also depictions of soldiers with armory:

which of course also has different shapes and materials from possibly leather ones such as these in the vase painting till full on bronze ones like this famous sample:

And of course the infamous boar-tusk helmet, like the one thoroughly described in the Iliad being the helmet upon the head of Odysseus:

In fact Homer seems to be rather accurate on the description of it and it corresponds to the images of the vase painting with men wearing boar tusk helmets adorned with plumes and horns (yeah sweet irony how it was uncommon for Vikings to wear horned helmets and yet media depicts them with them while ancient Greeks did have horned helmets and no one depicted them with them! Hahaha!).

We also see the existence of beards to men so it seems fashion calls for beards in older men and shaven faces for younger ones which remains kinda the norm for the later years to come. Other depictions show men clothed in short nd short-sleeved chiton with or without helmets and often their clothing have vibrant colors:

Boar tusks began being kind of like a status symbol for we find many of them to burials along with weapons so we tend to believe they were signs for warriors.

For material now it seems that Homer was rather accurate depicting his women weaving and looming. The existence of loom weight in our discoveries show the woolen threads being famously used in looming and we even discovered funeral shrouds (like the one Penelope ellegedly wanted to prepare for Laertes) in burials in burial circle B in Mycenae

patterns were often painted or loomed upon the skirts or clothing. Flax was also another material one would expect was used at that time for clothing-making. One can assume fur or other materials from hunted or farmed animals would be used for warmth at colder months especially in cities located inside the mainland.

Thankfully for us the mycenaean greek scripture (Linear B) is deciphered so we do know on products moving from and to the palace (unfortunately the scriptures we have are mainly logistics)

So to do a recap yeah minoan and mycenaean clothing had really vibrant colors and intriquate patterns. By n large Mycenaean Civilization has simpler lines to the clpothing and tend to choose options with less nudity unless we speak on ceremonial or official dresses of the upper class (of course exceptions to the rule should have existed but we do not have as much data on it). On materials we see more wool or flax that is woven in a very skillful fashion as for armory and helmets we do see a variety of shapes and material with prominient things being leather, bronze and boar tusk.

Beautiful jewelry of gold and precious stones were also worn especially in the images of women in procession (most likely for celebrations or ceremonies). We do see depictions of men with beards and often shorter hair (possibly youths that have come of age who are to let their hair grow again, if they follow the same logic as we know of future times to follow)

Hair and hair fashion does seem to change although we discover some remains of it to the later 7th century Kouroi and Kores statues where Kouroi have often long hair depicted n ringles or ropes which again could be the indication of curly, braided or locked hair to indicate the continuation of the long-haired fashion even in later years in antiquity such as the archaic period.

Now as I said before doric greek clothing highly depends on the area, the timeline and the city-state we are talking about so it could be a subject on another ask or a reblog on specific eras and areas (Sparta Macedonia etc) depending also on the era we are talking about we can detect some differences in fashion. Generally we have more scarce information on the period of the Dark Ages (after 1100s till the 7th century BC)

For Minoans and Mycenaeans I could look for more bibliography if you want. You can check these two sites where you can find much of the information I list here:

I hope this helps a bit! I will be open for more answers in more detail! ^^

[spineless-lobster]

Our society went to ruin when we stopped dressing like the minoans

[too-cool-for-facebook]

[silmawensgarden]

This week's hyper fixation ; Minoan civilization.

The Minoans have been heavy on my mind lately. Maybe also because of the documentaries I've watched....

I love how colorful their frescos are and the fashions of the time 😌

Biggest issue; why is there so little left of them?? Why did they have to be wiped out like that... honestly wish I could go back in time to experience their culture and daily life.

[uwmspeccoll]

The Minotaur in the Labyrinth

The Minotaur in the Labyrinth stands as one of the ancient stories that has survived the test of time and continuously appears in mainstream entertainment. Most understand that this concept began with the story of Theseus of ancient Athens and how he navigated the labyrinth and slayed the beast within, but many don’t know the inspiration of this idea.

Nearly a millennia before Classical Greece rose to the height of its power (500-350 BCE) the two leading cultures of the Aegean Sea were the Mycenaeans on the mainland and the Minoans on modern day Crete, and it is on this island that we find the labyrinthian structures of Bronze age Greece.

The Bronze Age Palace at Knossos: Plan and Sections by British archaeologist Sinclair Hood and Canadian archaeologist William E, Taylor, Jr., was published as Supplementary Volume No. 13 of The British School at Athens in 1981. It shows the archaeological remains of one of the many Minoan Palaces. Though mostly destroyed and crumbling, we can still see the complex layout of halls and rooms that twist, turn, and abruptly end. Beginning with the excavations of Sir Arthur Evans in 1900, scores of theories have been raised about the purpose of such confounding architecture, from a form of defense to a means of controlling foreign visits.  

Besides the confusing architecture, though no depictions of minotaurs were found, Minoan Palaces such as the one at Knossos did contained several pieces of art that depicted bulls. Upon further inspection, the symbol of the Bull was quite prominent throughout the ancient culture from sports, such as bull leaping, to religious sacrifice.

When looking to those who lived in the past, one should remember that we are not the only ones who inquired about archaeological remains. These ruins would’ve been seen by the Classical Greeks, but by that time their imaginations about the great Palaces and Bull iconography of the Minoan civilization was transformed into the myth of the Minotaur in the Labyrinth.

View more posts on Ancient Greece.

-- LauraJean, Special Collections Undergraduate Classics Intern

[dapurinthos]

it’s happening

it’s HAPPENING

*screaming*

[saffron-wave]

🌊🧡Saffron Wave has updated!!🧡🌊

Reblogging helps spread the word and reach new readers!!

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[hoofclid]

A historically themed pony today.

[voluptuarian]

was doing some research (again) on Eileithyia Cave for the Dancing Ground and this book on the site came up in the search results and absolutely Wrecked me

Eileithyia was a childbirth goddess and her shrine is full of votives themed around babies, family, and pregnancy and this one on the cover seems to be of a woman in labor. But like, it looks exactly like a modern water birth?? Even the person behind supporting her? And like the way she's got her arm back to touch them uuuuughghghgh I'm feeling Unwell about this fucking figurine you guys

[jessicalprice]

minoans

got a request for my minoan posts since I’m bad at tagging shit and apparently they’re hard to find, so:

Part One: The Case of the Extremely Victorian Goddess

Part Two: The Joys of Being a Contextless Artifact

Part Three: Isadora Duncan, Being Absolutely Insufferable

Part Four: Did You Miss That She Has a Cat on Her Head?

[arthurdrakoni]

Flag of the Minoan Empire

This is the flag of the Minoan Empire.  It comes from a world where the eruption of Thera never happened.  As a result the Minoan civilization continued to flourish and eventually went on to conquer the Mycenaeans.  The Minoans forged several trade networks and founded an empire that stretched across the Mediterranean.  The Minoan conquest of the Mycenaeans meant that Ancient Greek civilization, as we know it, never came to be.  

The Minoan Empire prospered for many centuries, but just as Greece and Rome did in our world, eventually it had to come to an end.  However, just as later civilizations looked to Greece and Rome for influence and inspiration, so to did the future civilizations of this world look to the Minoans.  Minoan culture cast a heavy shadow on future civilizations, and the legacy of the art and ideas would live on even after thousands of years.

The dark purple represents the wine-dark sea, and the Minoans control over it.  The golden axes are Labrys, a type of double bladed axe commonly found in Minoan artwork and ruins.  They are believed to have symbolized authority.

Link to the original flag on my blog: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2016/02/flag-of-minoan-empire.html?m=1

[aerikarkadian]

Episode 6 - Laura Perry, Minoans, and Snake Goddesses

Laura Perry is an author and artist who specializes in the Ancient Minoans. She founded Ariadne’s Tribe, which is an inclusive Minoan spirituality tradition. Some of her work includes the book Labrys and Horns as well as The Minoan Tarot, a deck that was specifically designed in the style of Ancient Minoan artwork. In this episode, Laura discusses everything I ever wanted to know about the…

[historyfiles]

Minoans: excavations have shown that Minoan Crete was inhabited from the Neolithic period (by 6000 BC and perhaps even earlier), with arrivals possibly island-hopping their way from the western Anatolian coast of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B culture.