Minoans

Sir Arthur Evans's excavations at Knossos helped create an enduring image of the Minoans as a graceful, peaceful and sophisticated civilisation whose palaces, art and maritime power set Bronze Age Crete apart. In Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete, Rodney Castleden re-examines that familiar picture against the archaeological evidence and offers a more complex account of Minoan society.

Drawing on archaeology and the Cretan landscape, Castleden explores the people themselves and life in the countryside, towns and harbour communities, as well as overseas connections and religious practice. He considers how the evidence supports, challenges and reshapes long-standing assumptions about Minoan culture. Written as a broad study of Bronze Age Crete, the book combines material evidence with interpretation to provide an accessible introduction to the society behind the palaces, sanctuaries and celebrated works of Minoan art.