Alright so I have an exam in Art History this Monday covering the history of the Minoan, Greeks, and Romans.
I'm clear on most of the important details, except for Minoa and Mycenae. I'm not sure if it was what my prof said or a side effect of me not listening, but my notes contradict what's in most textbooks and I need serious clarification ("well if it's in the book it has to be wrong" please tell me honestly though).
Alright so the info I have and what I can remember from the lecture that day goes as follows:
Later in my books, it says the Mycenaean Greeks took over Minoa in 1450 BCE, but it later became less important.
All I know is this: Mycenae and Minoa were related somehow, Mycenae would return to Minoa and take it, the Mycenaeans were the precursors to the Greeks
I know the Dorian invasion is mainly just conjecture to most historians, but it was brought up during the lecture so I have to assume it's important somehow. PLEASE please help me here!
TL;DR: How are Mycenae and Minoa related? Was Mycenae a Minoan colony, or was it always there?
I do remember that Minoan settlements flourished 'before' the Mycenaeans, but both groups were independent of each other in the general sense. The Minoans were on Crete, and Mainland Greeks (Mycenaeans) eventually conquered them. Dorians came later, after events of Trojan War and maurauding 'Sea Peoples,' and took over most of Greece.
Mycenaeans were probably influenced by Minoan culture (which borrowed from Egyptian and Hittite forms of art), but one did not 'start' the other. All of the history is happening at once.
Hope that helps! Not a historian, so if I am wrong please someone correct me.
/u/mathieu_delarue is pretty much right. Separate civilizations with similarities that are only there due to trade and eventual conquest
Also since I see that this is for Art History, I'd like to mention the differences in art. The Minoans' art was very vibrant and colorful. There was a lot of nature and depicted everyday life a lot. It also has a ton of women, most of whom are dressed in the outfit that is unique to the Minoans: a vibrantly colored fitted dress (something humanity wouldn't see again for 3 millennium) with the signature bare breasts design. Their sculptures consisted of possibly religious figures, nearly all of them women, bulls (which they probably worshiped), and every day things. Their pottery were sometimes vibrantly colored, but sometimes not. A lot of the pottery depict bulls, sea life, and different patterns. They have found double edged axes that might be ceremonial.
The Mycenaeans' art was influenced greatly by the Minoans, but they mainly depicted goddesses and battle scenes. They also made a lot of pottery and the majority of it had patterns and battle scenes. They had figurines that depicted mainly animals and goddesses.
Here's some links as well: http://www.ou.edu/finearts/art/ahi4913/aegeanhtml/mycenaen.html http://www.ou.edu/finearts/art/ahi4913/aegeanhtml/minoan.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenaean_Greece http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_civilization http://www.ancient.eu/Mycenaean_Civilization http://www.ancient.eu/Minoan_Civilization/
*edit for word correction
RemindMe!