Review: Architecture of Minoan Crete: Constructing Identity in the Aegean Bronze Age, by John C. McEnroe

Abstract

John C. McEnroe . Architecture of Minoan Crete: Constructing Identity in the Aegean Bronze Age . Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010, 220 pp., 8 color and 205 b/w illus. $60, ISBN 9780292721937 Between 7000 and 1100 BC the island of Crete produced one of the most idiosyncratic and highly distinctive forms of architecture in the ancient world. There has long been need for fresh synthesis of Minoan architecture, one that goes well beyond available studies of materials and techniques, diachronic changes in style, function, sterile modules, or the relationship between architectural and social units. While these topics are well summarized by John McEnroe, the primary goal of this new book is, in the words of the author, provide the first overall history of Minoan houses, Palaces, tombs, and towns from the Neolithic period through L[ate] M[inoan] IIIC (vii). Why Palaces appears in upper case and all else in lower case is unclear here, but explained later on. Although McEnroe deftly deals with many aspects treated in earlier studies, it is the overall synthesis that is significant, for the book manages to see both the forest that is Minoan architecture and the individual trees that give it its unique character. What is new and refreshing about this volume is the basic premise that architecture is one of the chief media through which humans shape their identities and present themselves to others. Although this is straightforward thesis, it is, in the context of Minoan architecture, innovative. This is beautifully written book and easily accessible because McEnroe saw his role as a journalist, selecting, reporting, and synthesizing some of the most interesting …