Palace at Knossos (Grete) and Bull-Leaping, from the Palace at Knossos (Crete) Essay Example
Palace at Knossos (Grete)
CA, 1700-1400, Greece.
The Knossos palace was first built around 2000 BC, and reflected the grandeur of Minoan civilization. The Palace spread over six acres of land with heights reaching four stories. It was constructed in a labyrinth, maze-like pattern and about 100,000 people lived there. The walls of the Palace where fill with beautiful and colorful friezes and frescoes, figures and paintings on plaster, which depict life from this era.
Throughout the Minoan Period, the Palace of Knossos was destroyed and rebuilt many times due to natural disasters. Its final deterioration began around 1380 BC, affecting both the physical and social constructs of the Minoan society. The Palace of Knossos is described as an imposing structure that gives insight into the ancient Minoan civilization it once held within its walls.
The largest of the palaces was the legendary home of King Minos, and it was said that in here the Hero Theseus had a battle with the bull-man Minotaur. After defeating the monster he left taking with him the king’s daughter, Ariadne, who helped Theseus mark his path to enter and to find this way out safely.
1. Bull-leaping, from the palace at Knossos (Crete) 1450-1400 BC, Greece.
The bull-leaping is one of the frescoes from the palace at Knossos, this fresco describes the Minoan ceremony in which young men grasped the horns of a bull and vaulted onto its back.
This ceremonies were celebrations and rituals dedicated to the God Apollo. The bull-leaping was a local sport, also a form of distraction, and a way for Minoan people to have fun. This ritual did not demand the killing of the bull; the main goal was to designate the courage and gallantry of the participants. Four daring men and women were in the field, trying to control the bull. One of them had to jump on the bull and perform several exercises holding the bull’s horns, such as acrobatics and somersaults. At the end he had to jump over the bull.
CA, 1700-1400, Greece.
The Knossos palace was first built around 2000 BC, and reflected the grandeur of Minoan civilization. The Palace spread over six acres of land with heights reaching four stories. It was constructed in a labyrinth, maze-like pattern and about 100,000 people lived there. The walls of the Palace where fill with beautiful and colorful friezes and frescoes, figures and paintings on plaster, which depict life from this era.
Throughout the Minoan Period, the Palace of Knossos was destroyed and rebuilt many times due to natural disasters. Its final deterioration began around 1380 BC, affecting both the physical and social constructs of the Minoan society. The Palace of Knossos is described as an imposing structure that gives insight into the ancient Minoan civilization it once held within its walls.
The largest of the palaces was the legendary home of King Minos, and it was said that in here the Hero Theseus had a battle with the bull-man Minotaur. After defeating the monster he left taking with him the king’s daughter, Ariadne, who helped Theseus mark his path to enter and to find this way out safely.
1. Bull-leaping, from the palace at Knossos (Crete) 1450-1400 BC, Greece.
The bull-leaping is one of the frescoes from the palace at Knossos, this fresco describes the Minoan ceremony in which young men grasped the horns of a bull and vaulted onto its back.
This ceremonies were celebrations and rituals dedicated to the God Apollo. The bull-leaping was a local sport, also a form of distraction, and a way for Minoan people to have fun. This ritual did not demand the killing of the bull; the main goal was to designate the courage and gallantry of the participants. Four daring men and women were in the field, trying to control the bull. One of them had to jump on the bull and perform several exercises holding the bull’s horns, such as acrobatics and somersaults. At the end he had to jump over the bull.