Good morning, for a few districts school, has started, while others are waiting until after Labor Day to start up the new school year. Today, I am going to look at the documentary The Secret of the Phaistos Code. The run time for this episode is 51:23.
The Minoans have been considered Europe’s first advanced civilization. However, there are a group of skeptics calling this history into question. Some skeptics examined the artifacts and feel that some of those artifacts are fake. It is the tale of two archeologists: one archeologist Arthur Evans makes sensational discoveries at Knossos. The other is Luigi Pernier and he does not find anything spectacular until he finds the Phaistos disk. On it was Europe’s oldest form of writing: or was it? If this is a hoax, who was behind this hoax? In 1900, Arthur Evans starts excavating the site at Knossos and the palace. He had purchased a piece of land to do the dig. He is interested in both archeology and prestige. He quickly discovers some good fines. He was thrilled with the discoveries on Crete. In the south of Crete, Luigi Pernier and the Italian archeologists are working on a palace site as well. National pride is at stake for both groups of archeologists. Pernier’s disk, an icon of the dig, is the main attraction at the national museum in Crete. However, there is descent, and these voices claim that the disk is a hoax. Emilie Gillieron was an experienced restorer who worked with Arthur Evans. Gillieron’s work created a popular picture of the Minoan civilization. However, many modern historians would be critical of his methods. Gillieron arrived in Athens in 1877 and found a city in revival. Many wealthy citizens are investing in the arts and education. Heinrich Schliemann, a millionaire, is a man interested in finding ancient history. He wants to discover Troy and Mycenae. Gillieron hopes to find employment with Schliemann. Schliemann puts Gillieron’s skills to the test. Eventually, Gillieron is hired. After Schliemann dies, Evans brings Gillieron to Crete. Emile Jr. also comes to Crete and he is a skilled drawer. He also has an entrepreneurial spirit and his morals are questionable. He draws incessantly and neatly. Both father and son dominate the history of Minoan Civilization discovery. One historian looks at the archives of the Gillieron family. They would offer copies of the vases that were discovered. Illustrators would help archeologists imagine their finds. The Gillierons created the image of Bronze Age Crete. They created drawings like a conveyor belt and these drawings could be sold. Arthur Evans continues to exchange. He leaves his scruples behind. Non-Minoan discoveries are quietly discovered. Pernier is having a tough time. Where he Is digging, the archeologist has to be a skilled mountain climber. These mountains were good for defense, but if you wanted to explore Crete’s history you would be challenged to get to the site. To discover more history, archaeologists have to have local knowledge. However, despite the challenges, there are artifacts still being found. There are still settlements being found in the mountains. These settlements were flourishing. There were periods of settlement and periods of abandonment. Crete is a puzzle. The island was home to a great culture that was comparable to the other civilizations around the world. Additionally, it was the center of trading routes on the Mediterranean. The civilizations on Crete had a fleet of ships and could engage in trading around the Mediterranean Sea. Knossos and Phaistos were important cities on the island. How could a great civilization survive on this island? What caused its decline? Was the disc a fake? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more. First impressions are not what they seem. I thought this was going to be all conspiracy based, so as I watched the documentary, I was surprised that it did not turn out that way. It was interesting to see the different approaches to archelogy the two men took. The section on doing scientific analysis of the artifacts that were found was very interesting. I felt like the filmmakers were presenting both sides and letting you decide for yourselves whether or not the artifacts were fake. In the end, this documentary would be one to include on the list for the school year.
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The purpose of this blog is to share information on what can be used in a classroom, private school, or home school setting as well as serve as a portfolio of my personal and professional work. The reviews are my opinions and should be treated as such. I just want to provide a tool for teachers to select documentaries for their classrooms. |