The Bull of Minos

by Leonard Cottrell

Schliemann's search for the site of Priam's Troy is one of the most fascinating in the annals of archaeology. Late in life and accompanied by his new young wife, Schliemann set out to prove the reality of the Iliad and the Odyssey. To the astonishment of the world, he found Troy and hung upon his wife quantities of gold jewelry he insisted must have been Helen’s. That he had actually penetrated far below the level of Homer’s Troy is one of the most intriguing “accidents” of archaeology and one that led straight to the equally fabulous excavations at Mycenae. Building upon Schliemann’s work, Sir Arthur Evans was led to Crete and the discovery of the four-thousand-year-old Minoan civilization, whose cef-d’oeuvre was the fantastic Palace of Minos, which he painstakingly excavated and restored.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Greece, Historical, Classical Studies, Biography

Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Leonard Eric Cottrell was a prolific and popular British author and journalist. Many of his books were popularizations of the archaeology of ancient Egypt.

Leonard Cottrell was born in 1913 in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, to William and Beatrice Cottrell (née Tootell). His father inspired his interest in history from a very young age. At King Edward's Grammar School, Birmingham, Leonard was notably only interested in English and history, in which he read widely.

In the 1930s, Cottrell toured the English countryside on his motorcycle, visiting prehistoric stone circles, burial mounds of the Bronze Age, medieval and Renaissance monuments. On those journeys, he was often accompanied by Doris Swain, whom he later married. After gaining experience writing articles on historical subjects for motoring magazines, he wrote his first documentary for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1937.

Cottrell was rejected by the RAF during World War II for medical reasons, but he joined the BBC in 1942 and was stationed in the Mediterranean with the RAF in 1944, as a war correspondent. His wartime experiences formed the basis of his book All Men are Neighbours (1947). He worked at the BBC until 1960, when he resigned and moved to a house overlooking the estuary of the River Kent in Westmoreland, Cumbria, where he stayed for the rest of his life, writing.

Among other achievements, Cottrell was the editor of the Concise Encyclopaedia of Archaeology (1965).

He was married and divorced twice, first to Doris Swain (divorced 1962) and Diana Bonakis (married 1965; divorced 1968). He had no children by either marriage.

Leonard Cottrell died on 6 October 1974.

Reviews

[Vasilis Manias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο το είχα εντοπίσει σε μία λίστα ενός αμερικάνικου περιοδικού και κυριολεκτικά με αιφνιδίασε. Εκεί που καθοδηγούμενος από το εξώφυλλο περίμενα να διαβασω ενα μυθιστόρημα με θεμα την Κνωσσό, κατέληξα να μη χορταίνω με τις ξεχωριστές αφηγήσεις του συγγραφέα που συνδυάζουν τις βιογραφίες των Σλημαν και Εβανς με το πως το προσωπικό τους όραμα οδήγησε τον πρώτο στην αποκάλυψη των βασιλικών τάφων στις Μυκήνες και τον δεύτερο στην ανακάλυψη ολόκληρου του Μινωικού Πολιτισμού.
Πότε έζησε ο Όμηρος. Έγινε στα αλήθεια ο Τρωικός Πόλεμος και αν ναι πότε; Που ετάφη ο Αγαμέμνονας και που η φόνισσα σύζυγός του με τον Αίγισθο. Συμμετείχαν κορίτσια στα ταυροκαθάψια; Πως κατάφερναν οι Μινωίτες να στηρίζουν πενταόροφα κτίρια τη στιγμή που η αρχιτεκτονική στην Ελλάδα εμφανίστηκε μετά από κοντά 1000 χρόνια (!). Τί είναι η γραμμική Α, τί η γραμμική Β, τί απεικονίζει ο δίσκος της Φαιστού και η βασική ερώτηση που είχαμε όλα τα παιδιά στο σχολείο, υπήρξε στα αλήθεια ο Λαβύρινθος; Απίθανες ιστορίες ξεπηδάνε σελίδα με τη σελίδα και ένας μοναδικός νέος κόσμος, ένας κόσμος ειρήνης αρμονίας και προόδου ζωγραφίζεται μπροστά στα μάτια ακόμα και του πλέον ανυποψίαστου αναγνώστη.
Ασχοληθείτε, και δε θα χάσετε.

[Mesoscope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cotrell's book reads rather like a hagiography of the two great venerable figures of modern Greek archaeology, Arthur Evans and Heinrich Schliemann. While both deserve praise and gratitude, both have likewise earned a degree of criticism for their impatience, gradiosity, runaway imaginations, and lack of intellectual discipline that arguably led to as much harm as good. One reads with a sense of agony of Schliemann burrowing hastily through and destroying entire levels of Troy, now lost to us forever, out of his pressing desire to discover evidence that matched his vision of Homer's Troy. And who can read without sighing with exasperation, his declaration upon discovering a gold mask in a Mycenaean shaft grave, that he has looked upon the face of Agamemnon?

Cottrell can do so, apparently, enamored as he is with the romanticism of the daring archaeology of spade and shovel. Unfortunately, the archaeology of the adventurer leaves fragments behind that the archaeology of scholarship must then try to piece back together.

Even as a matter of enthusiastic biography Cottrell might have paused to consider how Evans got custody of the site of Knossos in the first place, when Greek archaeologists were also poised to dig at the spot. And Schliemann's discovery of Troy was surely as much dumb luck as deduction - his reasoning was as often wrong as right.

I write this review as an admirer of Schliemann and Evans, but no on is served by hero-worship, and Cottrell, I fear, is as drawn to their excesses as to their gifts. So, in this popular survey of their discoveries, he rhapsodizes in a matter I find old fashioned and unengaging, suffused with nostalgia and gloss.

[Elderberrywine · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I must say I flat-out adored the writing style. A tale of early archaeological studies, done by the wealthy and obsessed amateurs Heinrich Schliemann (Troy) and Arthur Evans (Minos), this book was exactly that - a wildly improbable tale, Boys Own style.

Written in 1953, it really is a great read. The author traveled in the footsteps of these two, and it's as much a travel adventure as a scholarly piece and all to the good, I say. I can't imagine how many young people this book must have inspired. Footnotes are highly overrated, IMHO.

[Allen Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, this is not what I was looking for - which doesn't help my evaluation of the book. I was also reading an edition from 1962 (the original being 1953). From an archaeological point of view, much has changed. But I didn't read it for the archaeology, and didn't enjoy that either. I was seeking more mythology and while there was some, there was nothing to really offered that expanded my knowledge. There was a great deal written about the writer's experiences which made it feel like a travel log at times. I forced myself to read it to the end. It seems like a good jump off point for anyone who wants to start learning things about this subject, the mythology and culture, but for deeper, more up to date information, there are better books out there.

[Carola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desde la escuela primaria que he alucinado con la Historia antigua y con Grecia, especialmente. Es uno de los países más bellos, interesantes y alucinantes que he tenido la fortuna de visitar y recorrer. Este libro me llenó de una curiosidad enorme, de ganas infinitas de regresar. La influencia, el nivel de desarrollo alcanzado y el poder que alguna vez tuvo la civilización minoica es impresionante. Lo pude ver en Akrotiri, en la isla de Fira (mar Egeo). Quedé sin aliento. El sitio arqueológico era impresionante, parecía una ciudad moderna, con casas modernas. Quiero recorrer Creta (no conozco la isla), el país entero más bien. Qué así sea, amén, aleluya.

Aquí un ejemplo de lo avanzada de esta civilización (el trono de Cnosos es al menos dos mil años más antiguo que cualquier otro de Europa, imagínense). Sobre las letrinas, el periodista Leonar Cottrell y el arqueólogo Arthur Evans nos dicen que:

"Es característico de nuestra época tecnológica que a la mayor parte de los profanos que visitan el Palacio de Cnosos, más que ninguno de sus tesoros estéticos les impresione esta letrina de hace 3600 años. Es el paraíso del plomero. Grandes ductos de piedra conducen el agua desde el tejado hasta unos drenajes subterráneos que estaban bien ventilados por medio de respiraderos dotados de registros para su inspección. (...) Las tuberías de terracotas, con sus secciones de una forma estudiada científicamente, perfectamente empalmadas, que datan de los primeros tiempos del edificio, son comparables a sus equivalentes modernos".

Pero según Cottrell, el ejemplo más notable de la ingeniería hidráulica minoica se encontraba en los canales que transportaban el agua de lluvia en el mencionado palacio. A través del manejo de cálculo matemático, lograron dar con los ángulos precisos para reducir la velocidad de la caída del agua y que así esta bajara por la pendiente de manera controlada, dando exitosamente la vuelta en cada esquina sin que se desbordara en los rellanos (este sistema de canales estaba instalado en las escalinatas del palacio).

FASCINANTE.

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una grata sorpresa.

Hay que tener en cuenta, para leer este libro, que se escribió a comienzos de los 50, y que los dos epílogos son de los años 53-54. Así que por supuesto que la información arqueológica está algo desactualizada, y varias teorías interpretativas están directamente desfasadas. Es bueno complementar este libro con algún manual actualizado sobre los periodos heládico y minoico (bueno, y con un análisis del periodo cicládico, que en este libro casi ni se menciona).

Sin embargo, es un libro divulgativo en el mejor sentido de la palabra, y aunque no se centra sólo en la historia de Evans y el descubrimiento del mundo minoico, sino también en la historia de Schliemann y su trabajo en Troya y Micenas, esta decisión se justifica en que Micenas y Creta están íntimamente unidas, tanto por influencias culturales (empezando por la columna que se encuentra en la Puerta de los Leones de Micenas, que parece ser influencia minoica), como artísticas, como lingüísticas (con los descubrimientos de las tablillas de Lineal B).

Es una buena introducción, presenta una visión del ciclo homérico y de los mitos griegos que llevaron a los arqueólogos (principalmente a Schliemann, pero no solo a él) a rastrear la verdad, por pequeña que fuera, detrás de los textos y tradiciones clásicos. Este es otro punto a destacar: que transmite una pasión por la arqueología que difícilmente transmiten otros libros posteriores. Hoy en día, cuando es lugar común juzgar con demasiada severidad el trabajo de Schliemann, Evans, y otros arqueólogos de finales del s. XIX y principios del XX, este libro es una reivindicación de su labor, no solo de su pasión casi infantil por la que buscaron evidencias en mitos, sino de sus métodos y técnicas. que prácticamente iban improvisando, y sobre todo de los razonamientos. Porque sus teorías son imaginativas, y son muchas veces exageradas, pero son audaces, y realmente les guiaron en la buena dirección.

No sé cómo transmitirlo mejor, es un libro disfrutón, para los amantes de la Historia y de la arqueología, y encima es un buen punto de partida para acercarse a los minoicos, uno de los pueblos más interesantes y desconocidos de la Antigüedad.

P.D: el epílogo acerca del proceso de desciframiento del Lineal B es fascinante. Me encanta la teoría de que el Lineal A fuera alfabeto minoico para expresar una lengua minoica, y que el Lineal B es protogriego escrito en el alfabeto minoico, tras la “posible” conquista heládica de la isla.

[Victor Szepessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cottrell can really write and his passion and enthusiasm for archaeology fills every page. He expertly leads you on a path to the very origin of Western Art, in the footsteps of Schliemann and Evans, so that you feel you are there making every discovery with them yourself for the first time.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great overview of ancient civilizations of Crete, Troy, and Mycenae as revealed by archaeology kicked off by the triumphant, unswayable Heinrich Schliemann and the two generations of Evans that followed him. As Schliemann felt he walked the ground memorialized by Homer, so the author follows to the sites of the important digs and records his feelings and experiences there. I also found very interesting the detailed appendix on unraveling the Minoan Linear B scripty. There are plenty of B&W plates and illustrations.

[Ulises Sánchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,74

[Steve R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting summary of archaeological investigations at Troy, Mycenae and of the Minoan civilization on Crete. There are drawbacks to Cottrell's presentation, but it was quite easy reading and quite informative. The problems arise from the relationship between this readability and informativeness. The book operates on three levels, each with a different degree of interconnection between subject matter and informative value.

On the simplest level, the story describes Cottrell's travels to Turkey to view the sights of Schliemann's excavations that uncovered the ruins of Troy, proving his fundamental assertion that the Homeric epics were based on actual, not fictional history. Then, the author travelled to Mycenae on the Greek peninsula and finally to the island of Crete. At each stop off, he describes the people he meets, the inns he stays at, and his personal impression of the ruins he inspects. This is all quite engaging, and quite easily understood. But like most travelogues, we learn as much if not more about the traveller doing the observing than we do about what he or she is actually encountering.

At a higher level, Cottrell does an incredible job describing the life and work of Schliemann and Sir Arthur Evans, the man who coined the term term 'Minoan' (from King Minos) to describe the entire new civilization he discovered and spent the better part of a half century investigating and writing about. Both these individuals were as idiosyncratic as they were forceful in their pursuit of what they were after. Schliemann made a ton of money as a merchant before giving himself over to archaeology, while Evans was, fortunately for him and his investigations, born into a large private fortune, which allowed him to finance extensive years of work among the ruins.

The story of Schliemann's abandoning his attempts to purchase the lands on which the palace of Knossus were located due to a deliberate over-statement of the number of olive trees is inadvertently hilarious, while his passionate love for two different women at different points in his life made him quite a sympathetic figure. Evans' disability (he was extremely short-sighted) is shown to have worked out with quite fortuitous results when it came to his inspection of the seals and beads from Mycenae. His earlier fascination with Bosnian independence, his characteristic walking stick (named Prodger) and his willingness to take on the entire British university and/or government apparatus was astounding. These two men were truly amazing figures, without whom we would know so much less about the times before 1000 B.C. This part of the book was much more informative and was also quite easy to digest.

The third and final level of the work I found the most frustrating. Rather than a straightforward summary of what we know now about these ancient civilizations and their cultures, Cottrell introduces each piece separately as it was uncovered by the archaeologists who first brought it to light. After unearthing several different levels at Troy and not being certain at to which of them represented the one which the Greeks managed to destroy in the Trojan war, Schliemann went on and found seven shaft graves at Mycenea. They containing wonders of gold and silver jewellry and were thought to possibly be the remains of Agamemnon whom Clytemnestra and her lover so brutally murdered on his return from Troy. Evans discovered the palace of Knossus, which was just one of several Minoan palaces spread throughout the island of Crete, and a civilization which seem to have practised a strange sport of leaping over bulls as well as being benefited by the luxury of indoor plumbing. All very well and good, but these are highlights: almost picture postcard types of tourist-trap hot spots, and hardly the description of an ancient culture and society I wanted to come to understand. Thus, when the work finally got to the most important part for my interest, it seemed to lose its overall thrust of engaging interpretation.

One interesting thing, or actually two, although they are somewhat similar. The Greeks were mad at the Trojans for controlling the eastern Mediterranean trade. So Agamemnon hatched up the story of Helen's kidnapping by Paris to justify a war of the Achaeans against the Trojans. Similarly, the story of Greeks having to send seven young men and women each year to be sacrificed to the Minotaur in the labyrinth until Theseus. aided by Ariadne, overcame the monster was just another such piece of propaganda for the colonial Minoan states to justify their rebellion against the rule of Knossus. The labyrinth is nothing more than the intricate network of plumbing around the palace which allowed for indoor plumbing!

Still, an interesting read, although maybe my expectations of what I would finally achieve were a touch unrealistic. After all, these cultures existed over three thousand years ago.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the archaeological discovery of an entirely unknown pre-Greek civilization contemporary with the Egyptian Middle Kingdom - the Minoan civilization. The author leads us through the search and discovery of Troy and Mycenae before following the clues to Crete. This edition was 1961 so some conclusions may have been superseded in later years. However, the story of the discovery was enlightening.

[Ana Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

«He contemplado el rostro de Agamemnón.»
H. Schliemann, verano de 1876.

Sucede en ocasiones que comenzamos a leer cierto libro sin tener de él grandes expectativas, acaso cierta curiosidad porque el tema que trata nos interesa o porque conocemos al autor por otros libros, pero conforme vamos adentrándonos en la lectura, ésta nos revela tesoros completamente inesperados y su encanto sorpresivo llega a envolvernos por entero antes de haber podido darnos cuenta.

Ya en un par de ocasiones había yo visto este libro en los estantes de la biblioteca, me había guiñado el ojo pero yo, atenta entonces a otras cosas, no le había hecho mucho caso; sólo me había llamado la atención el título. Esta vez, sin embargo, al volvérmelo a topar de frente decidí traérmelo a casa junto con un librito sobre Eurípides que, ése sí, ya tenía tiempo que quería leer.

Una vez en casa, y como hago de ordinario cuando tengo más de una opción en determinado momento, dejé el libro sobre Eurípides (que ya desde antes he decidido que me va a gustar) y me puse tranquilamente a leer El toro de Minos.

¿Cómo decirlo? Desde la introducción misma me intrigó, y conforme fui pasando las páginas me sumí tan de lleno en la narración, que de no haber sido por mis ruidosos intestinos que demandaban alimento, me habría seguramente seguido de largo hasta ya oscurecido.

Es maravillosamente entretenido. Combinando una especie de relato de viaje con biografía, historia y arqueología, su autor, Leonard Cottrell, nos narra la historia de cómo fue descubriéndose la historia de la Grecia y Creta arcaicas, a través de la vida y obra de sus dos principales protagonistas, los por más de una razón admirables Heinrich Schliemann y sir Arthur Evans, y mostrándonos en el ínterin (y al final, en los apéndices) los espectaculares resultados de los esfuerzos de tales hombres, que llevaron al descubrimiento de una compleja civilización hasta entonces perdida, o acaso recordada tan sólo como una época fantástica creada en la imaginación de los poetas.

De Schliemann y Evans ya había yo leído algunas cosas, pero más bien de modo anecdótico y como al margen en otros tantos libros sobre historia y literatura griega; nada como aquí se les retrata. La personalidad excéntrica, ávida, incontenible e imaginativa de Schliemann, su vida y peripecias antes y después de haberse convertido (con Ilíada en mano) en arqueólogo improvisado, conforman una auténtica e interesantísima novela; y no lo es menos la del aventurero, audaz y miope Arthur Evans, que llevaría aún más allá los asombrosos descubrimientos de Schliemann en Troya, Micenas y Tirinto, trayendo a la luz, luego de más de cuatro mil años olvidada en las sombras, la compleja y rica civilización Minoica que dominó el Egeo antes incluso de la era Micénica que redescubriera el alemán y nos relata Homero en la Ilíada y la Odisea.

Partiendo sobre la base de unas memorias de un viaje reciente a Grecia, el autor sabe armar un relato muy bien articulado y entretenido; mientras nos da cuenta de sus paseos y conocimiento propio sobre el tema (incluidos ciertos detalles arqueológicos ajenos al «profano»), nos lleva hacia atrás y adelante en el tiempo, al estado actual (en su momento: 1952) de las investigaciones, y retrospectivamente a las épocas de Schliemann, Evans y demás personas que los acompañaron en esta odisea de descubrimiento, informándonos, acercándonos e interesándonos (aún más) sobre la importancia de estas antiquísimas culturas, Micénica y Minoica, que de no ser por ellos seguirían siendo tal vez consideradas nada más que meros cuentos cantados por aedos ciegos.

A pesar de que la arqueología y la «realidad histórica» nos hacen probablemente ver los relatos épicos con ojos más escépticos y algo desencantados, también es muy cierto que, pasado ese momento de nostalgia, el poder comprobar que mucho de aquellos relatos tuvo una base completamente real y casi palpable, les confiere a final de cuentas un carácter aún más vivo y llamativo en nuestra imaginación; además de que, no obstante lo que digan la arqueología y la historia, su encanto literario, que vive en una esfera muy diferente de la realidad, y lo que hacen despertar dentro de nosotros al leerlos, no pueden ni podrán nunca menguar ni evitar que nos enamoremos de su incomparable belleza.

Para neófitos en asuntos arqueológicos como yo, este libro aclara muchas dudas y sabe despertar el interés sobre los asuntos que trata; muy recomendable lectura.

[David Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absorbing and fascinating story of Heinrich Schliemann, Sir Arthur Evans and the search for the three and a half thousand year old civilisations that inspired Homer’s epic poetry.
A journalist and historian with a lively narrative style and a decent respect for the shallowness of the casual reader (I was seduced by the book’s cover), Cottrell takes us along with him on a much-anticipated journey to the tombs of Mycenaean kings on Mainland Greece and to Troy - that city which has intrigued so many of us all our lives - with the inspired, romantic, rich and unpredictable Schliemann, followed by the incredible persistence and diligence of Evans (another rich archaeologist and brilliant writer) who managed not only to uncover and preserve the mighty Knossos but speculated about Linear A and B, the latter of which, once decoded, proved that this was a written early form of Greek and seems to show that the Mycenaeans conquered, at least part of Crete. I must confess to being rather unimpressed by Knossos when I visited it in 1982. I take this opportunity to apologise for my ignorance. Now all I want to do is to go back there.
Cottrell is happy to share with us the Greek myths that possibly have a basis in real events and the frankly astonishing finds that help unravel the origin stories of Theseus, Ariadne, Daedalus, Agamemnon, Menelaus et al.
NB, Sir Arthur’s Villa Ariadne where Cottrell spends some uncomfortable nights (he finds it inhabited by ghosts and is only partially reassured by a gigantic statue of Hadrian that Evans had placed in the garden) was General Kreipe’s headquarters in 1944 when he was kidnapped by Patrick Leigh Fermor and his band of renegades as recorded in Ill met by moonlight.

[Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent lay-introduction to Trojan, Cretan, and Mycenaean archaeology. The book, written in the early 1950s, focuses on two gifted, self-taught archaeologists, Heinrich Schliemann and Arthur Evans, and their work in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Today, the archaeologists' reputations endure some criticism because they were not trained archaeologists and, possibly, because both were wealthy. Some of the criticism may be justified and some of the criticism may be jealousy on the side of academics.

Most likely Schliemann and Evans made mistakes that a trained archaeologist would not have made. In the tradition early 1950s, the author does not follow what today would be called a balanced approach. The portrayal of the archaeologists is almost entirely positive. This does not detract from the book. The book may be thought of as an introduction to Trojan, Cretan, and Mycenaean archaeology. If you want greater balance you must follow the reading of this book with something more current that provides both positive and negative interpretations of their work.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Χρησιμοποιούσα το google όλη την ώρα, έμαθα πράγματα που δεν ήξερα και θυμήθηκα πράγματα που έχω δει. Αναπόφευκτα ωραιοποιημένη διήγηση (υπάρχουν πλέον ένα σωρό ενστάσεις για το τσιμέντωμα του Έβανς, μυρίζομαι περισσότερη πίκρα στο τέλος της συνεργασίας με τον Μακένζι κλπ) αλλά τελικά μάλλον αυτό δεν έχει σημασία γιατί η ουσία είναι τα συναρπαστικά πρώτα βήματα μιας επιστήμης που ως όφειλε εξελίχθηκε και αυτοναναιρέθηκε. Αναρωτιέμαι πόσες από τις θεωρίες που παρουσιάζει έχουν ανατραπεί στα 70+ χρόνια που έχουν περάσει και θέλω να το ψάξω περισσότερο. Αυτό πιστώνεται στον Cottrell. Σίγουρα γραφή ενδεδυμένη με πέπλο ρομαντισμού ενός άλλου καιρού, αλλά και τόσο ανεπιτήδευτη αγάπη που είναι αδύνατο να μη σε παρασύρει σε μια εποχή που όλα γίνονταν με διαφορετικό τρόπο. Χαραγμένη για πάντα στο μυαλό μου θα μείνει η παράδοση σε μερικά κρητικά χωριά μετά τη γέννηση ενός παιδιού να μαζεύονται στα σπίτια συγγενείς και φίλοι, να γελάνε και να τραγουδάνε για να κρύψουν το κλάμα του μωρού να μην το ακούσουν τα κακά πνεύματα, όπως 3000 χρόνια πριν τα τύμπανα έκρυβαν το κλάμα του Δία για να μην τον ακούσει ο Κρόνος.

[Daan2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The discoveries of Ancient Greece described in this book were indeed great, I must say.

The lifes of the two great discovers Heinrich Schliemann and Arthur Evans were described in great detail, too much detail in my opinion. That really ruined the pace of the book.
Also, the last chapter and the epilogue were really boring unfortunately.

The writer also describes his own visits of these places after the discoveries. Reading about this was not interesting at all.

Nonetheless I give it three stars, because it was fascinating to read about the truth in the Illiad and Odyssey of Homer. About the ancient civilization of Crete, which was unlike those of Greece and Egypt being the countries closest to Crete. About the possible truths in the story of Theseus and the Minotaurus, although exaggerated and fantasized.
It can imagine the excitement of discovering such fantastic sites and artifects.

Fortunately there were pictures in the book, but there should have been more

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

What sets this book apart from other overviews of the archaeology of Troy, Mycenae and Knossos is, first, the biographical approach to the lives and work of Heinrich Schliemann and Arthur Evans, with liberal quotations from their own writings. Second, parts of it are a vivid travel memoir of the author himself. These make for a lively and entertaining read.

This second edition includes an appendix describing remarkable additional discoveries that were very recent at the time of the edition's publishing. Another appendix relates the spectacular decipherment of Linear B writing by Michael Ventris in the early 1950s, which showed that the Mycenaeans and some of the Minoans were speaking Greek.

[Sonja Dewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was "stuck" in Greece (happily) for a while and found this book in a little lending library in my hotel. In the beginning the author is roaming Greece and describes everyone he comes across as 'peasants'. Although the term is probably used correctly, did he expect to come across royalty on his trip? Once you get beyond his attempt to wax poetic about (as he describes them) the peasants of Greece it was an interesting foray into the past, into mythology and history, and to see these historic places in a new light. It's interesting to see that much of the world's archeological past is due to rich white men.

[Sergio Cresta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Debo reconocer en esta obra, el fino arte narrativo de Cottrell (H. Schliemann & A. Evans), que en un ensayo acerca de dos grandes de la arqueología griega me mantuvo inmerso en una aventura sin par. Una que me abdujo de mis pagos argentos a las playas agrestes de la Troya antigua, para luego inmiscuirme en los muros de Micenas y Tirinto entre penumbras y antorchas, para aterrizar en la agreste, soleada y cambiante Creta.
Este libro es sin dudas, un clásico en su serie.

[Peter Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a find.30 cents in an op shop!This is old fashioned(about 70 years after it was first published) but tells the story of Schliemann and Evans in discovering Troy and Knossos with intelligence,vigour and enthusiasm.And what a story it is.it’ll need to be supplemented with modern research but for a starter it’s first rate.But can you find it today?

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overview for the time, but demonstrates typical antiquated thinking in terms of cultural heritage. Entertaining read for sure and of course archaeologists have uncovered much much more about Mycenaean/Minoan civilisation since its publication

[Dayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these books - Cottrell has the same knack for description he finds in the excavation reports of his late 19th century predecessors.

[Ginni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in my teens after reading the Mary Renault novels about .king Theseus of Athens, and the great civilisation of ancient Crete. I’ve still never visited Knossos - maybe one day.

[Ale Gachuz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro muy interesante acerca de los descubrimientos sobre las civilizaciones en Creta y Micenas. Es muy ameno y despierta el interés por leer más acerca de este tema tan apasionante.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

my version had none of the pictures :(

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leonard Cottrell follows in the footsteps of Heinrich Schliemann and Sir Arthur Evans, who more or less discovered two civilizations.

[Juan Mesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realmente esperaba un libro que tratase mas sobre los minoicos que sobre arqueologia, sin embargo el texto es interesante y ameno de leer

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A deep history of the archeological explorations of Schliemann and Evans in Troy, Mycenae and Crete, and their reconstruction of the Homeric, and pre-Homeric, realities of the region in the late 19th and early 20th Century, updated to the mid-20th Century by science and further exploration. Well written and entertaining, with photos of some of the most important discoveries.

[DoctorM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found "The Bull of Minos" long ago as a bibliography item for Mary Renault's "The King Must Die", and it's been a favourite since my high school days (yes, about the same time as Minos ruled at Knossos). Cottrell's account of Evans at Knossos is absorbing and vivid. For all the changes that archaeology has undergone over the last couple of generations, Evans' image of Minoan Crete has held up remarkably well, and his reconstructed Palace of Minos is there at Knossos as something very much on my must-do-in-this-lifetime list. "The Bull of Minos" is a fine layman's introduction to the Minoan world and excellent popular archaeology.

[Kit Dunsmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this fascinating. A nice mix of the early history of the archaeology of ancient Greece, along with details of what was found. Includes stories of the finding of Troy, Mycenae, and the palace at Knossos. Read with a grain of salt, however. Published in 1952, some of the interpretations have changed as more has been discovered. Has me eager to find some more recent sources to answer the unanswered questions.