The Discoveries in Crete : And Their Bearing on the History of Ancient Civilization

Indeed a classic of accessible archaeological writing, Burrows' study of ancient Crete was one of the main contributors to the commencement of modern understanding of the Minoans. The earliest traces of the Minoan civilization are sketched out before he turns to the historical periods when Minos flourished. The sack of Knossos and the end of the Bronze Age are narrated against the archaeological background. Aware of the cultural continuity of classical stories from the island, he introduces the topic of the minotaur and the famed labyrinth of Knossos. For anyone interested in the roots of western civilization, or of the founding of classical civilizations, this book remains an essential reading. PREFACE CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS CHAPTER I. THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS AND THE SEA POWER OF MINOS CHAPTER II. THE PALACES OF PHÆSTOS AND HAGIA TRIADA, AND THE EXCAVATIONS IN EASTERN CRETE CHAPTER III. THE BEGINNINGS OF MINOAN CIVILISATION CHAPTER IV. THE BUILDING OF THE PALACES, AND THE GREAT MIDDLE MINOAN PERIODS CHAPTER V. EGYPTIAN CHRONOLOGY AND THE DATE OF THE MIDDLE MINOAN PERIODS CHAPTER VI. THE PALACE STYLE AND THE SACK OF KNOSSOS CHAPTER VII. THE END OF THE BRONZE AGE CHAPTER VIII. THE LABYRINTH AND THE MINOTAUR CHAPTER IX. CRETE AND THE EAST CHAPTER X. CRETE AND THE NORTH CHAPTER XI. THE NEOLITHIC POTTERY OF SOUTH RUSSIA AND CENTRAL EUROPE CHAPTER XII. CRETE AND THE HOMERIC POEMS APPENDIX A (to p. 70). THE EGYPTIAN YEAR APPENDIX B (to p. 117). PAGES THE SUGGESTED CONNECTION OF LABYRINTH, LAURA, LAURIUM BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX ADDENDA