The Minoan Civilisation

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Minoan Civilisation.In 1900 the British archaeologist Arthur Evans began excavating some ancient ruins at Knossos on the island of Crete. He uncovered an enormous palace complex which reminded him of the mythical labyrinth of King Minos. Evans had in fact discovered the remnants of a Bronze Age society; in honour of Crete’s legendary king he named it the Minoan Civilisation.The Minoans flourished for twelve centuries, and their civilisation was at its height around three and a half thousand years ago, when they built elaborate palaces all over the island. They were sophisticated builders and artists, and appear to have invented one of the world’s earliest writing systems. Since Evans’s discoveries a hundred years ago, we have learnt much about Minoan society, religion and culture - but much still remains mysterious.

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Guests

• John Bennet 2 episodes
  Professor of Aegean Archaeology at Sheffield University
• Ellen Adams 2 episodes
  Lecturer in Classical Art and Archaeology at King's College London
• Yannis Hamilakis No other episodes
  Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton

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Programme ID: b01292ts

Episode page: bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01292ts

Auto-category: 930 (History of ancient world civilizations)

Hello (First sentence from this episode)

Hello. Just over a hundred years ago, a British archaeologist, Arthur Evans, began to excavate a plot of land at Knossos in northern Crete.