I should like to thank Mr Brian McGregor, the Librarian at the Ashmolean Library in Oxford, for allowing me access to the books and journals in his care, and John and Celia Clarke for their hospitality during my visits to Oxford. Joan Newey offered useful advice on translations from the Greek, and conversations with Eileen Smith gave me some ideas on the lack of Minoan literature.
Doreena and Keith of John Proctor Travel expertly organized specially-tailored transport and accommodation arrangements for both the 1988 and 1989 visits to Crete, which enabled me to cover a lot of ground. I am especially indebted to Kit, who came with me on both occasions, and was keen to explore even the most inaccessible and elusive Minoan sites.
I am grateful to Chris Pearce and Andrew Wheatcroft at Routledge for making the publication process so smooth and straightforward, and to Countess Anne Romanov for proof-reading the text and for her invaluable help with the library research.
The book functions as a sequel and companion volume to The KnossosLabyrinth: whereas the latter focuses on the single most important monument produced by the culture, Minoans provides the background on the people, an account of the culture itself. The large bronze age building known as the ‘Palace of Minos’ at Knossos is generally acknowledged as the principal ‘marker’ for the Minoan civilization. A radical re-interpretation of that building’s function necessitates nothing less than a re-evaluation of the civilization: hence the need for this book. A good deal of the material for Minoans was gathered, almost by the way, during the research for the earlier book. As a result, all the people who helped me in the preparation of The Knossos Labyrinth must be acknowledged here too: Dr Tzedakis, the Director of Heraklion Museum, Karambinis Emanolis, Custodian of Knossos, John and Trudy Urmson, Angelika Schonborn, Ann Brown, Diana Cooke, and Professor Peter Warren of the Department of Ancient History and Classical Archaeology at Bristol.
R. C.
Brighton