Short Resource List for Minoan Crete

One of the best introductions to the rediscovery of Minoan civilization is Alexandre Farnoux's Knossos: Searching for the Legendary Palace of King Minos (1996, 159pp), part of the excellent Discoveries series (i.e., concise, lavishly illustrated, with selected historical documents). The Minotaur's Island is an informative, if somewhat melodramatic, video documentary (2008, 98 minutes, available through Netflix or Amazon) featuring historian Bettany Hughes summarizing what we know about Minoan Crete today. Cathy Gere's Knossos & the Prophets of Modernism (2009, 234pp. also in Kindle format) details how the rediscovery and interpretation of Minoan culture was heavily influenced by a war-ravaged Europe's eagerness to find and embrace a more benign and peaceful cultural heritage. For those who enjoy historical fiction, Mary Renault's classic The King Must Die (originally 1958, but numerous recent editions plus audiobook format) retells the legend of Theseus' encounter with the Minoans, against the backdrop of a cataclysmic volcanic eruption.

Compiled by Chuck Sieloff