Is This What Charlotte Had in Mind?

Mom: OK, kids, what comes to mind when we think of the Ancient Minoans?

Dude: Volcanoes and death!

Super: And all their boats got destroyed.

Mom: Can you remember the name of that volcano?

Dude: Yes! Oh, my gosh! I know it, I know it!



Mom: I'll give you a minute. What else comes to mind?

Super: They lived on an island, all surrounded by water. They had good weather, and they had plenty of food, so they had free time.

Mom: Were they a big military power in the region?

Dude: No, they were a, um, money power.

Mom: That would be an economic power, right?

Dude: Yeah. And there was a huge volcano on another island and it blew up a huge chunk of the island!

Super: And that's where we get the story of Atlantis.



Mom: What was the name of their famous king?

Super: King Minos!

Mom: And did the Minoans actually call themselves Minoans?

Dude: No, we don't know what they actually called themselves.

Mom: What else comes to mind?

Super: The Minotaur! And wealth. And they weren't good fighters.

Dude: (singing) We just wanna have fu-un!



Mom: Where did they live?

Super: Crete.

Mom: Right, but what kind of place did they live in?

Super: An island.

Mom: Right, but I mean, what kind of structures did they live in?

Super: Oh! You mean their big palaces? You were being kind of vague, Mom.

Mom: You're right, that was kind of vague. So...in those palaces, there are some very beautiful, very famous...

Dude: Beautiful pistachios!

Mom: Almost!

Super: Frescoes.



Mom: What else were they good at?

Super: All kinds of art, metalworking, making money... They were rich but they weren't the world's best fighters.

Mom: Do you remember the name of the people who conquered them?

Super: The My... the My...

Dude: The Mayans! No, wait...

Mom: The Mycen...

Super and Dude: The Mycenaeans!

Mom: Where did the Mycenaeans come from?

Super: From the mainland of Greece.

Mom: Was ancient Crete a perfect place to live?

Dude: No! There were earthquakes, and volcanoes, and tidal waves!



Mom: Can you remember a really cool thing that young Minoans did? Something kind of dangerous?

Dude: Yeah, but Mom? Can we eat now?

Super: Yeah, Mom, why don't we talk about the Minoans over lunch?