Background
Minoan culture (a.k.a. Minoan civilization or Minoan religion) refers to spiritual beliefs and customs practiced by peoples living in Crete and some Aegean islands between ca. 2800-1450 BCE. Martin Persson Nilsson has argued that Minoan culture ought to be classified as a precursor group to the ancient Greeks.
Discovery
The discovery of a distinct Minoan culture may be heavily attributed to Sir Arthur John Evans. Evans conducted archaeological surveys from 1900 and onward at what is now known as the Palace of Minos, or Knossos Palace, in Crete, Greece. The name 'Minoan' seems to have been coined by Evans himself throughout his four works, titled The Palace of Minos (at Knossos). Evans published various works concerning Minoan culture from the early 1900s and onward.
Notable artifact: The Phaistos Disk
The Phaistos Disk, a Minoan artifact, is notable on account of its inclusion of a script that has yet to be deciphered. This disk was discovered by Luigi Pernier in the early 1900s. Since then, many scholars have attempted to decipher the script it contains as well as translate it (if possible). Recent work by Peter Z. Revesz has provided compelling evidence (see bibliography).
Minoan proto-deities
Several scholars have maintained that Minoan culture contained deities which were worshipped. For example, Nanno O. Marinatos argued that the Minoans worshipped a Solar Proto-Deity she termed as the 'Sun Goddess.' As many scholars have noted, most Minoan material culture findings point to a cult of worshipping female figures.
Notwithstanding, these perspectives represent opinions not agreed upon by most scholars. For this reason, the proto-deities are speculative. The basis of these proto-deities comes from material culture: ring seals, disks, palace frescoes, etc.
Minoan language
Minoan material culture has yielded artifacts with inscriptions understood to be Cretan Hieroglyphics or the Linear A script. Evans published a work in 1909 which dealt with the symbols found on Minoan artifacts, oftentimes relating the nature of the symbols to other Near Eastern Religions. Computer scientist Peter Z. Revesz has argued that the contents of The Phaistos Disk represents Cretan Hieroglyphics, which may have been used for a proto-Hungarian or proto-Finno-Ugric language.
Background
Chinese folk religion refers to a broad category of spiritual beliefs and customs from present-day China. It may be observed that China has a vast population and attested record of mythology since at least 1766 BCE. As a result, it is hasty to conclude that China has a single religion or single tradition with respect to mythological stories.
Chinese creation myths
Chinese folk religion has several creation stories that also include regional variations. One common narrative is known as the Legend of Pangu. The Pangu legend attributes creation of the universe by Pangu, who was said to take 18,000 years to complete his work before expiring. As he died, his body parts, voice, and features became celestial bodies and other Earthly components. This narrative, however, is not said to have appeared until much later after the first kingdoms in China were established ca. 2000 BCE.
