A Comparative Perspective on Minoan Urbanism

In this concluding chapter, we review the characteristics that are often attributed to Minoan towns, with twin goals in mind. First, although our account does not fully detail how each urban feature or process was identified or discussed, it is, to our knowledge, the first attempt to provide a comprehensive list of these characteristics and to point towards the relevant literature. Secondly, by sorting them according to Rapoport’s model of levels of meaning in the built environment, we aim to emphasise the type of research questions that can be reasonably investigated with the data we have at our disposal. Thirdly, we also seek to integrate recent studies on demography and settlement patterns within Rapoport’s model, as they are the subject of some of the most promising research on the urbanisation of Minoan Crete. In parallel, we also briefly present comparative material and hint at theoretical and methodological approaches that could serve as guidelines for future research in Minoan urbanism