ARE THERE 12 OR 10 THE MINOAN SOLAR ‘MONTHS’? A REASSESSMENT

Abstract

Sir A. Evans the founder of prehistoric archaeology excavated in Knossos, Minoan Crete, but he did not cover the calendric aspect of the Minoan Civilization 2600-1100 BC. He unearthed artifacts which could have been interpreted as calendars but he considered them as board games played under unknown rules. Archaeoas-tronomers have tried to solve the calendric Minoan problem, and through the orientation of the sun they have found the time of the two solstices and the two equinoxes. Based on these, they have tried to build up a Minoan twelve-month solar calendar. Probably they were preoccupied by the knowledge of the Egyptian twelve-month solar calendar of 30 days each and therefore they thought that the Minoans followed the Egyptian prototype. However, this was not the case. The principle of orientation was easy to be found and understood by the 20th century archaeoastronomers but for the farmers, shepherds, and fishermen of the Minoan age it was extremely difficult to understand. The expert authorities (priesthood) of the Minoan people, observed the orbit of the moon and the sun, and they invented a kind of calendars. The division of 365 days in smaller manageable periods of time was pictured on earthy materials, ceramics, or flat stones, named the kernoi. Thus, it was easy for any Minoan to make a solar calendar. The professional guilds were most benefitted. From 165 stone pieces of kernoi the 73 well preserved Minoan flat kernoi some of those are decodes as solar calendars.