At home, the Minoans enjoyed what was in many ways a much freer society than that of the later Greeks.
Though like most ancient societies, they practiced slavery, slaves were treated quite well in Crete. Women, who even in the Golden Age of Athens were little better than slaves, enjoyed a status more or less equal to men. Judging from Minoan artwork, they wore their hair long and did not cover their breasts. Many were priestesses.
Women's role in the Minoan religion is not surprising, because the Minoans worshiped a female fertility goddess. Though her name is not known, it is clear that she belonged to a type that prevailed throughout the ancient world: Isis in Egypt, Ishtar or Inanna in Mesopotamia, and later the Greco-Roman (GREH-koh) goddess Demeter/Ceres.
Many early religions were dominated by female deities. These “earth goddesses” were usually associated with agriculture and the home. Later ages saw the appearance of male deities, “sky gods” associated with powers of nature—the ocean, thunder, fire—or with other powerful forces such as warfare or the Underworld. The Greek pantheon (PAN-thee-ahn) would later include a number of male sky gods, most notably Zeus, king of the gods, alongside female earth goddesses such as his wife Hera, goddess of the home.
Minoans also worshiped bulls. One of their more unusual customs, one not fully understood by historians, was bull-leaping. Apparently an acrobat would stand before a charging bull, and at the last moment grab hold of the bull's horns and vault over its back. It is not clear whether this activity was purely religious in nature, like the Olmec ball game, or if it was also a form of entertainment. What is clear is that bull-leaping was extremely dangerous. It is possible, too, that the worship of bulls helped inspire the Minotaur myth.
Religion in ancient Crete seems to have included a number of elements, some of them apparently at odds with one another. On one hand, the Minoans worshiped bulls. On the other hand, they sacrificed bulls and other animals to the earth goddess. The Minoans were in contact with many cultures, however, so these contradictions are perhaps understandable. Another aspect of Minoan religion was the double axe: symbols of an axe with a double head decorate pottery and other items found at Minoan sites, suggesting that it was a sacred object.
World History
