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Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete
Thoroughly researched, Rodney Castleden's Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete here sues the results of recent research to produce a comprehensive new vision of the peoples of Minoan Crete.
Since Sir Arthur Evans rediscovered the Minoans in the early 1900s, we have defined a series of cultural traits that make the ‘Minoan personality’: elegant, graceful and sophisticated, these nature lovers lived in harmony with their neighbours, while their fleets ruled the seas around Crete. This, at least, is the popular view of the Minoans. But how far does the later work of archaeologists in Crete support this view?
Drawing on his experience of being actively involved in research on landscapes processes and prehistory for the last twenty years, Castleden writes clearly and accessibly to provide a text essential to the study of this fascinating subject.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 24, 2025
The Minoans are the most mysterious of the Bronze Age Mediterranean societies. Only trace historical evidence of them existed until Sir Arthur John Evans began his excavations in 1900, and found the remains of vast temples and palace complexes, evidence of a rich and sophisticated culture which had thrived on Crete from around 2500 to 1450 BC, then entered a decline, perhaps devastated by the explosion of the volcano on Santorini, then vanished from history around 1100 BC when the island was taken over by the Mycenaean Greeks.
Evans discovered magnificent jewelry, statuary, vases, and especially frescoes. They depict festivals, dancing, processions, and sporting events, evidence of a happy and prosperous civilization, confident enough in itself that its cities remained unwalled. Based largely on Evans’s glowing descriptions of them, the Minoans have come to be seen as peaceful and gracious, the hippies of the ancient world.
The reality, of course, had to be different. They were surrounded by aggressive, expansionist kingdoms in Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, and Greece. They must have possessed a powerful navy to have kept their independence and allowed them to have cities without walls. As the author says, “Evans’ milk-and-water Minoans could never have survived in the tough world of the bronze age Aegean, let alone produced a flourishing civilization that lasted over a thousand years.” (p. 168)
What we know about them is almost entirely from archaeological studies. They spoke a non-Indo-European language whose writing, known as Linear A, has never been translated. Later, as their civilization’s influence waned, they switched Linear B, which has been deciphered as an early form of Greek. Nevertheless, their culture seems to have had a significant influence on other parts of the Mediterranean. For instance, as anyone who has read Homer knows, the classical view of the afterlife was of pale, unhappy shades wandering Erebus, the personification of darkness. Even the great Achilles, when praised by Odysseus, said that he would rather be a slave to a servant in the living world than rule over all the listless dead.
The Minoans had a very different view of the afterlife, which may have had a far-reaching influence on the religions of the Eastern Mediterranean:
This book also sheds some amusing light on a famous quip from the ancient world: Epimenides’s paradox, “All Cretans are liars.” Epimenides was himself a Cretan, so this statement if true, is false, and if false, true. Apparently in Cretan lore a place called Juktas was said to have been the burial place of Zeus. Since most Greeks were certain that Zeus was, and always had been, very much alive, the Cretans must be liars, and that stuck to their reputation throughout ancient times.
Amid all the frescoes of happy people singing and dancing, it is easy to forget that there was a very dark side to Minoan civilization, which included human sacrifice. The legend of King Minos, the labyrinth, and the Minotaur may reflect a time when the Cretans were able to demand human tribute from the people they dominated.
There is, in fact, an amazing archaeological find, which catches a human sacrifice in the act. Around 1700 BC a great earthquake devastated the island, and a modern excavation of a temple found the body of a teenage male who had apparently just been sacrificed when an earthquake hit, along with the bodies of the three officiants who had killed him, and who were themselves killed when the temple collapsed around them. There is no certainty that this earthquake was in fact the same one that caused major damage around the island, but the timing corresponds closely.
As with so much of ancient history, we know very little about the lives and times of these peoples, and much of what we think we do know is inferential. Nevertheless, it is impressive to watch archaeologists at work connecting facts, so that a fragment of an Egyptian decree, a carving on a stele, an artifact recovered from an ancient shipwreck, and an analysis of plant pollen from a gravesite can be pulled together to make plausible assertions about agriculture and the economy.
Evans discovered magnificent jewelry, statuary, vases, and especially frescoes. They depict festivals, dancing, processions, and sporting events, evidence of a happy and prosperous civilization, confident enough in itself that its cities remained unwalled. Based largely on Evans’s glowing descriptions of them, the Minoans have come to be seen as peaceful and gracious, the hippies of the ancient world.
The reality, of course, had to be different. They were surrounded by aggressive, expansionist kingdoms in Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, and Greece. They must have possessed a powerful navy to have kept their independence and allowed them to have cities without walls. As the author says, “Evans’ milk-and-water Minoans could never have survived in the tough world of the bronze age Aegean, let alone produced a flourishing civilization that lasted over a thousand years.” (p. 168)
What we know about them is almost entirely from archaeological studies. They spoke a non-Indo-European language whose writing, known as Linear A, has never been translated. Later, as their civilization’s influence waned, they switched Linear B, which has been deciphered as an early form of Greek. Nevertheless, their culture seems to have had a significant influence on other parts of the Mediterranean. For instance, as anyone who has read Homer knows, the classical view of the afterlife was of pale, unhappy shades wandering Erebus, the personification of darkness. Even the great Achilles, when praised by Odysseus, said that he would rather be a slave to a servant in the living world than rule over all the listless dead.
The Minoans had a very different view of the afterlife, which may have had a far-reaching influence on the religions of the Eastern Mediterranean:
The care which bereaved Minoans sometimes lavished on their dead suggests a belief in the afterlife, and the idea of an Elysium, a pleasant Heaven awaiting people at the end of their earthly lives, is thought to have been a Minoan creation. It is not known whether the Minoans had any concept of reward or retribution in the afterlife, though they seem to have believed that the human soul survived death. (p. 152)
This book also sheds some amusing light on a famous quip from the ancient world: Epimenides’s paradox, “All Cretans are liars.” Epimenides was himself a Cretan, so this statement if true, is false, and if false, true. Apparently in Cretan lore a place called Juktas was said to have been the burial place of Zeus. Since most Greeks were certain that Zeus was, and always had been, very much alive, the Cretans must be liars, and that stuck to their reputation throughout ancient times.
Amid all the frescoes of happy people singing and dancing, it is easy to forget that there was a very dark side to Minoan civilization, which included human sacrifice. The legend of King Minos, the labyrinth, and the Minotaur may reflect a time when the Cretans were able to demand human tribute from the people they dominated.
There is, in fact, an amazing archaeological find, which catches a human sacrifice in the act. Around 1700 BC a great earthquake devastated the island, and a modern excavation of a temple found the body of a teenage male who had apparently just been sacrificed when an earthquake hit, along with the bodies of the three officiants who had killed him, and who were themselves killed when the temple collapsed around them. There is no certainty that this earthquake was in fact the same one that caused major damage around the island, but the timing corresponds closely.
As with so much of ancient history, we know very little about the lives and times of these peoples, and much of what we think we do know is inferential. Nevertheless, it is impressive to watch archaeologists at work connecting facts, so that a fragment of an Egyptian decree, a carving on a stele, an artifact recovered from an ancient shipwreck, and an analysis of plant pollen from a gravesite can be pulled together to make plausible assertions about agriculture and the economy.
February 7, 2017
Since Arthur Evans discovered Knossos on Crete, the Minoans civilization has been a source of wonder and mystery. The defining, or undefining, feature of the Minoan civilization is Linear A. Linear A is the unknown and undeciphered language used by the Minoans. Bronze age languages are often undeciphered, including examples from China and India. Bronze age writing from Egypt and Mesopotamia has been deciphered.
Since there is effectively no written record, archeologists have been free to interpret the evidence as they wish. This is a tradition by Arthur Evans himself with his creative reconstruction of Knossos Palace. Minoans by Rodney Castleden recasts the record interpreting the palaces as temples. Minoan Kingship recasts the record with kings in charge when others have seen a matriarchy.
In addition to his creative interpretations, Castleden provides the best catalog of evidence. The subtitle of Life in Bronze Age Crete is well deserved. If you were to read just a single book about the Minoans, this is the one.
For examples of creative interpretations and Minoan trivia: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2017/0...
Since there is effectively no written record, archeologists have been free to interpret the evidence as they wish. This is a tradition by Arthur Evans himself with his creative reconstruction of Knossos Palace. Minoans by Rodney Castleden recasts the record interpreting the palaces as temples. Minoan Kingship recasts the record with kings in charge when others have seen a matriarchy.
In addition to his creative interpretations, Castleden provides the best catalog of evidence. The subtitle of Life in Bronze Age Crete is well deserved. If you were to read just a single book about the Minoans, this is the one.
For examples of creative interpretations and Minoan trivia: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2017/0...
February 29, 2024
I just finished reading Minoans by Rodney Castleden, and I would like to share my thoughts with you.
What is this book about? It describes how Minoans lived during the Bronze Age.
What do I like about this book? I like the layout of the book. Each chapter presents a different topic on Minoan life. Even though I had read several books about the Minoans previously, I learned information that I had not know before.
What do I dislike about this book? The author published this book in 1990, so some of the information is outdated. And it lacked colored photos. I only bring this up because the author constantly mentioned the vibrant colors the Minoans used, and I couldn't see them because of the black and white photos.
What do I rate this book? I rate this book a three out of five stars.
Would I recommend this book? Yes.
Why would I recommend this book? I would recommend this book because it provides a good introductory look into Minoan life. But I would also recommend that you pair this book with a more recently released book on the Minoans, such as Minoan Crete by Vance L. Waltrous.
To whom would I recommend this book? I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Bronze Age Civilizations and how people lived in the past.
What is this book about? It describes how Minoans lived during the Bronze Age.
What do I like about this book? I like the layout of the book. Each chapter presents a different topic on Minoan life. Even though I had read several books about the Minoans previously, I learned information that I had not know before.
What do I dislike about this book? The author published this book in 1990, so some of the information is outdated. And it lacked colored photos. I only bring this up because the author constantly mentioned the vibrant colors the Minoans used, and I couldn't see them because of the black and white photos.
What do I rate this book? I rate this book a three out of five stars.
Would I recommend this book? Yes.
Why would I recommend this book? I would recommend this book because it provides a good introductory look into Minoan life. But I would also recommend that you pair this book with a more recently released book on the Minoans, such as Minoan Crete by Vance L. Waltrous.
To whom would I recommend this book? I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Bronze Age Civilizations and how people lived in the past.
April 24, 2013
A decent introduction to the Minoan civilization, but not every building is a temple.
July 21, 2017
Rodney Castleden is obviously an expert on all things Minoan and this book is a grand survey of everything that is known about the so called "Minoan" civilisation. I bought it for reading while on holiday in Crete. Interesting, it was, entertaining it was not!
Its seems to me to be intended for university students, as it discusses the minute details about paintings, shrines, clay tablets, seal rings etc. I bought the Kindle version and was frustrated by the many references to photographs (plates) which were not implemented as hyperlinks so that I could not look at them in context. I stumbled upon them halfway through the book. Rather poor for an eBook that cost 23,- Euro.
Its seems to me to be intended for university students, as it discusses the minute details about paintings, shrines, clay tablets, seal rings etc. I bought the Kindle version and was frustrated by the many references to photographs (plates) which were not implemented as hyperlinks so that I could not look at them in context. I stumbled upon them halfway through the book. Rather poor for an eBook that cost 23,- Euro.
December 30, 2017
Castledon does a decent job of organizing facts and putting together the pieces to give us an easily understood comprehension of the Minoans. Less of a “story” and a bit tricky to follow with references to photos on different pages of the book (so you have to flip back and forth as you read) but a great reference none the less.
October 23, 2018
Would love to see an updated, revised edition with more and in color photos and maps.
January 4, 2026
Great but outdated.
February 11, 2008
This was a good overview of Minoan culture and of the various archaeological findings. I wish there were more diagrams, but the ones that were there were good. I like seeing the temple layouts. Castleden did good job of collecting and paraphrasing the research on different aspects of the Minoans. The final chapter in particular was enlightening. The common perceptions of the Minoans were examined and compared with the archaeological evidence, with Greek views to Evans' thoughts to present ideas being considered. I feel that this approach produced a more realistic and balanced view of Minoan culture according to the evidence we have now. I think this would be useful as a introductory text, general overview for people interested in the topic, or perhaps as a reference for a paper or project.
July 7, 2011
I was real tempted to rate this book a 2 for the first half which was quite academic and spent much time on pottery and ceramic shards (ugh). The second half focused more on the Minoan religion which is fascinating. Still, this book lacked a real good description of the Labyrinth at Knossos, the legend of the Minotaur, or the Snake Goddess which to me are the most fascinating aspects of Minoan culture. Also, no mention of a possible link between Crete and the Atlantis myth or a possible Tsunami from the Thera volcanic eruption. I guess I was expecting too much. Still, the second half of the book is worth the read, especially the description of Bull leaping.
May 15, 2009
good tool to help see beyond the column bases and fresco bits and start to imagine the skylit springs and shaded processionals of the Minoan palaces. written with enthusiasm, if not a great deal of academic rigor
Currently reading
December 22, 2009Pretty good research so far.
February 19, 2013
This really good, very informative. He frequently mentions artwork or pictures and doesn't include them though, which is really annoying!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews