The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-11

trace Of the same idea that may be seen In
the Pillar Rooms at Knossos.
Prof. Burrows insists that such views can
only strike us as unnatural IL we persist
in regarding Crete as part Of the Western
World. We are 30 accustomed to thinking
Of classical Greece as the bulwark of IN
West against the East that we forget that
this attitude Of imper viousness constituted
only a short chapter Of history. The polit-
ical aggression Of Persia meant that for tn
1870 years during which our attention is most
concentrated on Greece the latter wal un-
doubtedly the frontier fortress Of Europe,
resisting and not receding. That all this
was changed by the c%onquests Of Alexander
is accepted as a commonplace. After the
Christian era Greece did not 50 much give
to Europe a Semitic religion as help the
Semites to create one; and the Roman
Greek Empire was a good half Oriental.
II 10 our classical prejudices that hinder us
from accepting for the period before Mara
thoD what we do not shrink from after
Arbela. h truth is that Crete in the
Minoan age was m much part Of the East
as Copstantinople Ia to-day. There ~ no
need, however, TO explain away it's Oriental
ism as a borrowing from one Of the pre-
viously evolved Orienta civilizations
Our authors general principle that the
East came further west does not involve the
assumption that in detail there was no give
and take between it's various parts. Crete
and Egypt in particular were in close con-
tact from an early period in Minoan history
and influenced each other at many points.
II does not follow that the two civilizations
were alike in all particulars. There was
much freshness and originality about
Cretan art; many Of it's favorite subjects,
like the crocus and the Wild Goat, or Agrimi,
are native to the island. Even the palm
trees on the cup brought to light eighteen
years ago in a beehive tomb at Vaphio in
the ~Peloponnese, which Used to be quoted
as a motive borrowed from Syria, whereas
their geographical origin had to be assigned
TO the painless territory Of the Argolid. are
now freed from the alien faint: the palm tree
TO this day growsw wild in Crete. Even where
a motive was originally taxi en- from Egyptian
life IL was treated in a distinctive way
Thus the water lily. Nymphea ~stellata.
grows In Egypt. and not in Crete; but hen
the artist who painted the vase found at
Zakro, On the eastern coast OF that island.
chose il for reproduction in his design he
found it too stiff for his taste and gave il
the careless curves OF some field flower that
he knew in Crete. Ii was suggested fifteen
years ago by Mr.. Percy Gardner that the
lion hunt on the Mycene dagger blade.
which is at least akin TO Cretan art IL not it's
product. has a dramatic touch in il that is
foreign to Egyptian or Assyrian art.
II again we turn to religion. the direct
influence OF certain elements in Egyptian
animal worship is acknowledged; but in
our authors judgment they are adapted.
and not taken over bodily. Thus the Griffin.
the Sphinx and the Hippopotamus Goddess
appear on Cretan gems crossed with ma
tive beast headed demons. while a snake
goddess and her votaries. dating from the
period here defined as Middle Minoan III.
and clearly connected with the cult Of the
Egyptian mother goddess Hatner. are
dressed in the latest fashion Of the Minoan
court. That is TO say. in religion as in art
generally Crete translated its borrowings
into indigenous terms and contributed as
much as il received.