Minotaur: Sir Arthur Evans and the Archaeology of the Minoan Myth (Paperback)

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Amazon.co.uk Review
Arthur Evans leapt into the public imagination with his discovery in 1900 of the Palace of Knossos on Crete, interpreted as the mythical lair of the Minotaur. Though a jewel in a golden age for archaeology, then, as now, questions have been asked about Evans's excavations and conclusions. In the richly detailed Minotaur, Professor MacGillivray, who has himself excavated Crete, suggests that the man who gave us the very term "Minoan" provides a prime example of "how archaeological discovery occurs first in the mind". By examining Evans's life and work through his actions and correspondence, MacGillivray shows that Evans's evidence was "fully, even exaggeratedly exploited" but rarely reviewed. Adventurous, energetic and highly observant, Evans also displayed "single-minded arrogance", "pomposity and manifest racism"--traits which MacGillivray feels, along with his independence of operation, resulted in misinterpretation. The book also incorporates an interesting potted history of war-torn Crete and the Balkans and Evans's involvement in the region's politics. It finally outlines modern theories on Minoan civilisation, though the "Palace and surrounding buildings are crumbling as fast as Evans's intellectual reconstruction", so that "solid proof" is increasingly problematic. Fascinating as a portrait of the man who "gave the world a new chapter in its ancient history" and for its portrayal of the developing discipline of archaeology, Minotaur also bubbles with an intriguing and highly important undercurrent which asks to what extent archaeologists are ever "impartial observers". --Karen Tiley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
At the turn of the 20th century, Sir Arthur Evans claimed that he had discovered the labyrinth constructed by Daedelus at Knossos which housed the Minotaur. We know of the Minoans of Crete from the legend of Ariadne and Theseus, and from Homer's description in "The Iliad". Evans was the most notorious and celebrated archaeologist of the early 20th century, inheriting the mantle of Schliemann who uncovered the site of Mycenae, and the tombs of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon in the process, and claimed the site of Troy. As the discoverer of the last of the great lost civilizations, Evans saw it as his task to show the crucial importance of the Minoans to Western civilization. What we know now is that the pacific civilization of the Minoans and the reconstructions Evans made were a romantic invention, shoehorned into the prejudices and presumptions of late 19th-century historical thought. Evans was a fabulist, and from a close examination of Evans's papers, Professor MacGillivray shows him in his true colours quarrelling with his more scrupulous rivals, caught up in Greek and Turkish politics, a driven man arrogantly propounding a distorted view of the origins of Cretan culture.

3 Reviews 5 star:    (0) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 3.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, but quite tedious to get through., 26 Sep 2001 By  wilmot_john@supernet.com (Canterbury, England.) - See all my reviews Having an expressed interst in Minoan civilisations and having visited Crete to see Knossos and the archeological finds in Heraklion museum, I found the book a fascinating read, but, having taken it repeatedly to the beach to read, was unable to read it for more than fifteen to twenty minutes at a time. An enjoyable, but heavy book to wade through. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   4 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars convincing, with some glaring historical errors, 8 Aug 2001 By  Manuel Nunez "a european reader" - See all my reviews The author argues that many of our ideas about the Minoan civilization are the product of Sir Arthur Evans' prejudices. His exposition is cogent and convincing. We know today that the Minoans were far from the peaceful, nature-loving sailors they were thought to be. Still, it is irritating to hear from the mouth of a professional historian errors such as the following ones: the Commune of Paris was repressed by German troops; Croatia and Slovenia were, in the 1850's, part of the Ottoman Empire; the Franco-Prussian war was brought up because Bismarck wanted to place a German prince in the Spanish throne (which was rejected by the Kaiser; Bismarck only used skilfully French irritation at this). Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Minotaur-myths debunked, 3 April 2009 By  Karen Vavourakis - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Macgillivray gives us a well-researched analysis of Sir Arthur Evans as a man, archeologist, and player in modern history. Hardly the pristine gentleman he is often made out to be, Evans was guilty of empire-building and many infringements on professional and personal codes of ethics, some of which are mentioned here. Regardless, he was the single individual responsible for bringing to light an important civilization on European soil and calling it to the world's attention. An enjoyable biography. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 3 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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