Reply To: Lives of Leisure and War

[Miranda Johansson]

Looking over both the Minoan and Mycenaean art, there seem to be subtle yet directing contrasts. For example the architecture – the Minoan architecture of the palace complex of Knossos seemed to be made to look more appealing, instead of being a strong hold. The defensive advantage that was chosen for the palace complex to have a confusing layout, making it hard for enemies to navigate and easier for the residents to escape or fight back. The Mycenaean architecture focuses on strength and taking advantage of the location for the purpose of battle. The lions on the Lion Gate are an example of displaying strength and intimidating visitors. The city of Mycenae is located in an area that is difficult for enemies to invade. Mycenaean architecture and art seemed to be more focused on strategic battle and defense. I found the Warrior Krater to be interesting, too. Similar to Egyptian art, the soldiers have little to no variance, as if they have no individual identity. The ceramics of the Minoan culture are not focused on soldiers or battle, they focus on nature instead or harvesting.
Looking at these examples, there seems to be a difference in focus of the artwork. The Minoan culture focuses more on nature and living with nature and interpersonal relationships, while the Mycenaean culture seemed to focus on strength, intimidation, and defensive strategies for battles.