The
first temples were built through the 20th century BCE
lasted til around 1,700 BCE, when an earthquake destroyed most
everything on the island, ending the Old Temple period. Minoans would
stand resilient in the face of such devastation, as each city rebuilt
their temple and life went on. Thus the New Temple period began and
temples increased in their structural complexity. Ambitious planners
took advantage of their opportunity to re-envision old traditions,
and to re-solidify old power structures. New ideas spread during the
NT period, a new style of pottery called the Marine style dominated
the Minoan art world. This New Temple period lasted from 1,700 til
around 1,470, brought to a brutal end by the Theran eruption. Dating
this eruption is problematic, with many dates ranging from
1,600-1,400, I’m using Rodney Castleden’s dating for the sake of
simplicity. The eruption not only wiped the Minoan colony of Thera
off the map, but brought earthquakes and floods to the rest of the
Minoan heartland. The Minoans were not destroyed by this calamity,
but they were shaken to their core. This brutal disaster brought an
end to the NT period and to their ancestral power structures.