"Dawn of the Gods" by Jacquetta Hawkes.

Hardcover, with dust jacket, 1972. 174 pages, includes bibliography, index, and photos. In tidy, clean condition.

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In this dramatic study of the beginnings of European history, Hawkes considers the culture of Minoan Crete and Myceanaean Greeece, finding in their union the source of Classical Greek culture. The tremendous discoveries of Sir Arthur Evans at Knossos and Heinrich Schliemann at Mycenae are part of her theme, which touches on the Homeric epics, the fall of Troy, & the legend of the Minotaur. The Cretan bull-leapers, the snake goddesses, the gold "mask of Agamemnon", & many other astonishing works of art,are illustrated & interpreted.

The essentially feminine character of Minoan Crete, with its palaces & gardens & its exquisite paintings, sculptures & ceramics, joins with the essentially masculine vigour of the Mycenaean kingdoms in the splendour of Bronze Age Greece. The poetry of Homer is seen as an element of continuity between this legendary period, which saw the dawn of the gods of Greece, & the golden age of Classical Greece which witnessed the dawn of our own era.

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