The Minoans – Advanced, Mysterious, And Slightly Extreme
The Minoans were an influential, mysterious, advanced, beautiful, yet also slightly extreme Bronze Age civilisation which thrived in Crete, the largest island of Greece, and the adjacent islands in the Aegean Sea (i.e. the Cyclades, but also some smaller ones in the Sea of Crete situated to the north of Crete) and the Libyan Sea (more specifically in the region of the South Cretan Sea which is situated to the south of Crete) between c. 2000 BCE to c. 1450 BCE. They are considered the first civilisation to have emerged in Europe during the Bronze Age and while several aspects pertaining to their enigmatic culture have been understood and discovered in the meantime thanks to the dedicated work of historians and archaeologists alike, many constituent elements of their bygone civilisation still remain a mystery to date (such as, most notably, the Phaistos disc, but not only).
The ancient Minoans had a mysterious mythology, mainly revolving around a snake goddess. The practised animal sacrifices and went to enigmatic processions like the one depicted above. Image source: www.blogspot.com
The ancient Minoans were a non-Indo-European people descended from Neolithic farmers who spoke a non-Indo-European language which still remains vastly undeciphered. Their language was initially recorded using the Cretan hieroglyphs and then in Linear A, the predecessor of Linear B, the script of the ancient Greek language. It must be mentioned that the very term Minoans (singular form: Minoan) is a relatively recent artificial linguistic construction invented by English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans (inspired by the legendary King Minos of Greek mythology), who, in collaboration with Scottish archaeologist Duncan Makenzie, unearthed the Palace of Knossos starting in 1900. The Ancient Egyptians referred to them as ‘Keftiu’.
The story of their downfall because of multiple natural disasters (i.e. a tremendous volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Santorini or Thera which unleashed large tsunami waves and earthquakes on Crete) made some believe their civilisation can be a solid candidate for the myth of Atlantis, as recorded by Plato in his two well-known dialogues Timaeus and Critias. Their civilisation’s downfall was ultimately sealed by a Mycenaean takeover of Crete, with their complex palatial system falling into slow decay.
The volcanic eruption of Thera north of Crete could have produced large tsunami waves that could have been able to reach the Nile Delta in ancient Egypt, as shown by these three red lines. Image source: Wikimedia Commons (author: Wikimedia Commons user Brave heart)
The Minoans influenced the Mycenaeans (i.e. the mainland Ancient Greeks) very much in architectural, mythological, and cultural regards. They were also influenced by the Mycenaeans and also by ancient Egypt. After the Mycenaeans conquered Crete, the culture of the Minoans fused with that of the newly arrived conquerors. While mostly perceived as a peaceful civilisation, this does not imply or mean that they did not engage in war. Minoan warfare, though not as prominent as its Mycenaean counterpart, existed, if to a lesser extent. One of the main reasons why the Minoans did not have to resort to war was the fact that they were an insular civilisation and an important thalassocracy (i.e. maritime power) which traded far and wide across the Mediterranean to such regions as Cyprus, Levant, or ancient Egypt (and beyond). Therefore, they controlled the important maritime trade routes of their time around Crete and, in the hypothetical scenario of a foreign invasion, they could have had spy ships around Crete and the islands situated in its proximity (on which the Minoans built colonies and outposts, such as, most notably, on the volcanic island of Santorini or Thera/Thira). This particular aspect, coupled with the fact that they were the sole inhabitants and natives of Crete for a very long time did not make them a war-based civilisation, therefore not having the need to fortify their palaces with strong defensive walls (as the Mycenaeans did instead).
A well-preserved Cretan helmet. Image source: Wikimedia Commons (author: Wikimedia Commons user O.Mustafin)
Nonetheless, that is not to say that their society was entirely a proto-hippie one, so to put it. The Minoans were slightly extreme in my humble opinion with respect to their mythology and sports. They venerated a snake goddess (very likely with multiple aspects), considered the bull a sacred animal, went to mysterious processions, and practised the extreme sport of bull-leaping and even wrestling or boxing (as exemplified by the well-known Akrotiri Boxer Fresco).
The famous Akrotiri Boxer Fresco found in 1967. Image source: Wikimedia Commons (author: Wikimedia Commons user Gleb Simonov)
In stark contrast to these rather extreme and puzzling sides of their bygone civilisation, the Minoans were also expert potters and visual artists, painting beautiful, vibrant, and colourful frescoes on the walls of their palaces. The Minoan art can still be admired today in Crete and on the island of Santorini (or Thera/Thira, as it is officially known). However, many frescoes were reconstructed (remade by archaeologists and artists in a manner that can depart from their original form, therefore making the new versions quite controversial in this regard). A notable artist who reconstructed Minoan frescoes is Émile Gilliéron from Switzerland.
Minoan vessel on display at Heraklion Archeological Museum in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Image source: Wikimedia Commons (author: Wikimedia Commons user O.Mustafin)
Ancient Minoan seal on display at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Crete, Greece. Image source: Wikimedia Commons (author: Wikimedia Commons user Ingo Pini)
Their administrative and religious centre was the Palace of Knossos (nowadays a renowned archaeological site which can be visited in Heraklion, the most populous city of Crete), known in Greek mythology for the labyrinth and the myth of the minotaur (a terrifying half-bull, half-human creature) and the Athenian hero Theseus who ultimately defeats him in the maze thanks also to the help and guidance of Ariadne, the daughter of the legendary King Minos, and her thread. In popular culture, American progressive metal band Giant Squid from Sacramento, California was inspired by the rise and fall of the Minoan civilisation so much that they released a concept studio album revolving around their story back in 2014 which is simply titled Minoans.
In conclusion, the influence of the Minoan civilisation spread far and wide across the Aegean to the mainland Greeks and, by extension it can be said, subsequently to the Romans as well. Below you can watch and listen to an interesting remake of Radiohead’s well-known hit song ‘Creep’ (originally released in 1992) by the YouTube channel historyteachers (credits for making this video go exclusively to them) which sums up life in Minoan Crete in a playful musical way:
- Minoan chronology on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
- Minoan civilization on www.worldhistory.org (in English)
- The Minoans: The Labyrinth on www.antiquatedantiquarian.blogspot.com