Synopses & Reviews
This is the story of two of the most heroic, and controversial, figures in archaeology: Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the remains of Troy, and Arthur Evans who unearthed the great city of King Minos. Ranking alongside Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, these discoveries at Troy and Knossos enabled a new understanding of Prehistoric Greece. They also proved that what until then had only been myths and daydreams of achaeologists and historians were historically real. The Cretans did indeed worship the cult of the bull. Achilles and Agamemnon really did live. Replete with drama and adventure, The Bull of Minos tells of the 3,000-year old civilizations that were revealed in their full glory, of the extraordinary men who toiled in their dusty ruins, and of the magic and mystery of life in an ancient world of gods and warriors.
Review
"The story of the heroic discoveries grips him and communicates itself to his readers, who must welcome a book both scholarly and easy, painstaking and alive." --Freya Stark, Time and Tide
"This book is a stimulating introduction to the Mycenaean Age of Greece." --Sir John Forsdyke, Sunday Times
"Cottrell has not only passionately studied the literature of Aegean archaeology, but he has visited most of the important sites and conveys vividly his sense of excitement and discovery." --Guardian
[Cottrell is] at his best when communicating that fresh and fateful sense of life which must have prevailed in very ancient times when gods walked the earth like men. It is this feeling of epiphany which makes Mr. Cottrells book a most worthwhile popularisation of its subject." --E.B. Garside
Synopsis
The cities of Troy and Knossos are the stuff of legend. One, the city of Homer's "Iliad", of Paris, Hector and Helen; the other home to a king who built a labyrinth in which to hide his monstrous son. This is the story of two of the most heroic, and controversial, figures in archaeology: Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the remains of Troy, and Arthur Evans who unearthed the great city of King Minos. Ranking alongside Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, the discoveries at Troy and Knossos enabled a new understanding of Prehistoric Greece, the very dawn of civilisation.They also proved that what until then had only been myths and daydreams were actually real. The Cretans did indeed worship the cult of the bull. Achilles and Agamemnon really did live. Replete with drama and adventure, "The Bull of Minos" tells of the 3,000-year old civilisations that were brought back to life, of the extraordinary men who toiled in their dusty ruins and of the magic and mystery of life in a world of gods and warriors.
About the Author
Leonard Cottrell (1913-1974) was also commentator, writer and producer for the BBC He is the author of several books, includingThe Lost Pharaohs, Enemy of Rome, Queens of the Pharaohs and Realms of Gold.
Table of Contents
Illustrations & Maps* Preface * Introduction * Prologue * Homer and the Historians * Schliemann the Romantic * The “Treasure of Priam” * “Golden Mycenae” * Pause for Reflection * “Here Begins an Entirely New Science” * The Quest Continues * Prelude to Crete * Island of Legend * A Challenge Accepted * The Birth-Cave of Zeus * “And Still the Wonder Grew” * Into the Labyrinth * The Villa Ariadne * The Palace of the Sea-Kings * “The Old Traditions Were True” * Epilogue * Appendix A: Mycenaes Second Glory * Bibliography