Minoans: Public Peace & Ritual Violence

The Minoans were a prosperous, peaceful island people in the Mediterranean region, whose influence on the Greeks is seen in their myths of the Minotaur and Theseus. Minoan art suggests they lived a peaceful life without war, where violence was sublimated by their bull-worship rituals. Females seem to have been more influential here than anywhere else in the ancient world. Yet recent archaeological discoveries suggest that secret sacrifices, led by women, were part of their religious rituals.