Minoan Larnax
Late Minoan terracotta coffin from Crete with painted decorations of maritime and floral elements. Date: Late Minoan (ca. 1400-1050 BCE), H. 105 x L. 97 x W. 41 cm.
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Stories
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Bringing the dead to life
story by Wessel van Duijn, Cornelia Hefting, Jet Vellinga.Our story is about something that looks like a modest blanket box. On the inside, however, archeologists found bones, not blankets. It turned out to be a prominent object in the burial culture of the Minoans, often lavishly decorated with maritime and floral patterns, motifs that are typical for Minoan art. It is a larnax. As we will see, a larnax conveys deeply-rooted information about this society’s worldview, daily life and conceptions about the afterlife. In addition, the larnax teaches us about production methods, burial customs and Minoan society. Flick through our story and dive into the Aegean Sea with us!
