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Crafts and Makers: the Minoans and Mycenae

A ten‑minute glimpse into the skilled artisans of Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece, from looms and kilns to metalwork and palace scribes.

Chapters

• 0:07 The Palace Workshops
• 1:52 Metal Mastery in Mycenae
• 3:37 Writing and Administration
• 5:04 Cross‑Cultural Connections

On-screen text

• 0:07 The Palace Workshops
• 0:14 The Palace Workshops
• 0:31 Wool allocated to palace workshop Historical record · Linear B tablet KN 738 (Knossos), 13th c. BCE
• 0:49 Women at vertical looms Historical record · Fresco of women weaving, Palace of Knossos (Heraklion Archaeological Museum)
• 1:07 Polychrome Kamares pottery Historical record · Kamares ware, pottery from the palace of Knossos (Heraklion Archaeological Museum)
• 1:25 Horned cup as ritual vessel The Institute's interpretation · Stuart Manning, *The Archaeology of Minoan Crete* (2004)
• 1:43 Minoan ship model Historical record · Model of a Minoan ship, Knossos (Heraklion Archaeological Museum)
• 1:52 Metal Mastery in Mycenae
• 1:59 Metal Mastery in Mycenae
• 2:16 Gold and silver Vapheio Cups Historical record · Vapheio Cups, gold and silver drinking vessels (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
• 2:34 Standardized bronze swords Historical record · Bronze swords from Grave Circle A, Mycenae (British Museum)
• 2:52 Gold diadem with fine sheets Historical record · Gold diadem from Mycenae, Grave Circle A (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
• 3:10 Stamped stirrup jars Historical record · Mycenaean stirrup jars, Late Helladic IIIB (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
• 3:28 Lion Gate relief Historical record · Lion Gate, Mycenae (Archaeological Survey, 1900–1902, Schliemann)
• 3:37 Writing and Administration
• 3:44 Writing and Administration
• 4:01 Scribes recording palace inventories Historical record · Linear B tablets from Pylos, Archive of the Palace (Tablet PY V 1, 13th c. BCE)
• 4:19 Bronze inventory tablet Historical record · Linear B tablet PY 3 (Pylos), inventory of bronze items
• 4:37 Possible ink term on tablets The Institute's interpretation · John Chadwick, *The Decipherment of Linear B* (1976)
• 4:55 Scribes recording palace inventories Historical record · Linear B tablets from Pylos, Archive of the Palace (Tablet PY V 1, 13th c. BCE)
• 5:04 Cross‑Cultural Connections
• 5:19 Knossos, Bronze Age
• 5:41 Who carved the lion relief?
• 6:05 Keftiu: land of skilled craftsmen (Egyptian inscription) Tradition / scripture · Egyptian inscription, Temple of Medinet Habu, 12th c. BCE
• 7:16 What traveled between islands?

Sources

Historical record: Linear B tablet KN 738 (Knossos), 13th c. BCE · Fresco of women weaving, Palace of Knossos (Heraklion Archaeological Museum) · Kamares ware, pottery from the palace of Knossos (Heraklion Archaeological Museum) · Model of a Minoan ship, Knossos (Heraklion Archaeological Museum) · Vapheio Cups, gold and silver drinking vessels (National Archaeological Museum, Athens) · Bronze swords from Grave Circle A, Mycenae (British Museum) · Gold diadem from Mycenae, Grave Circle A (National Archaeological Museum, Athens) · Mycenaean stirrup jars, Late Helladic IIIB (National Archaeological Museum, Athens) · Lion Gate, Mycenae (Archaeological Survey, 1900–1902, Schliemann) · Linear B tablets from Pylos, Archive of the Palace (Tablet PY V 1, 13th c. BCE) · Linear B tablet PY 3 (Pylos), inventory of bronze items · [record: Palace of Knossos, Bull‑Leaping fresco (Heraklion Archaeological Museum)] · [record: Lion Gate, Mycenae (Archaeological Survey, 1900–1902, Schliemann)]

Tradition / scripture: Egyptian inscription, Temple of Medinet Habu, 12th c. BCE

The Institute's interpretation: Stuart Manning, *The Archaeology of Minoan Crete* (2004) · John Chadwick, *The Decipherment of Linear B* (1976)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 229 s of CPU.