From impressive manufacturing to unbelievable
mythology, stay tuned to number 1 to find
out what happened to the ancient Minoans!
Number 10: Discovered Over 100 Years Ago.
When Sir Arthur Evans first discovered part
of a building on the Greek island of Crete
back in 1900, he probably didn't realize exactly
what it was that he was discovering and just
how big of a discovery it would be.
What he was uncovering, though, was part of
the lost Palace of Knossos, and the discovery
of the oldest recorded residents of Greece,
having lived from around 2000 BC until 1400
BC and before this discovery, the only known
reference to these people could be found in
some of the work by Homer, not the dad from
the Simpsons but rather the legendary Greek
author in his book, "The Odyssey to Eteocretans."
The Minoans were around during the bronze
age and, not only did they survive, but they
flourished in this time, not only setting
a name for themselves in their time but also
in being something of a mystery in modern
times, Don't believe me?
Stick around and see why they were so highly
regarded.
Number 9: Never Called the Minoans.
Surprisingly although we know them today as
the Minoans, it is more than likely not what
they would have called themselves back when
they ruled.
We actually named them after their King, Minos,
that was said to rule the Palace of Knossos.
In actual fact, Minos may not have even been
his name but rather more his title, as the
word Minos is actually their ancient Cretan
way of saying governor or leader.
Credit for the name can be given to the very
same man that discovered this civilization,
good ole Sir Arthur Evans.
The actual name of this ancient and dominating
civilization may never be found, though, due
to there being no mention of it in any known
text.
Number 8: Writings Translations.
Despite the Minoans being discovered a little
over a hundred years ago, there is still very
little that is known about their language,
and any tablets found with writing are still
lying in wait to have their secrets translated.
The reason for the mystery around the language
is primarily because of its age, predating
Greek, it is a form of writing known as Linear
A; this style of writing eventually morphed
into Linear B, and would again later become
Greek.
The cause for the confusion around the language
is the fact that although there are similarities
between Greek and Linear A, there are still
too many differences between the 2 and there
are to date no known keys that have been found
that could decipher the language for us to
understand.
What this means is that very little is actually
known about the Minoans aside from information
we've been able to piece together from what
was found inside buildings and surrounding
area.
So, for the moment, very little is known about
their beliefs or history which is rather unique
in modern times where you can get a smartphone
app that can interpret basically any foreign
language.
Mental note...develop Linear A translation
app!
Number 7: Woman In High Regard.
Equality between men and women is something
that has been debated for centuries and, while
this seems like a common sense, no brainer,
it's unfortunately something that may continue
to be fought about for years to come.
In the case of the Minoans, though, they were
unique in that they held women with a higher
regard than men, often appointing them higher
positions in the community than the men.
Although the cultural driver behind this is
not fully documented, there are 2 possible
working theories.
The first is that it's possible that men saw
women as the ones responsible for the expansion
of their people, being the ones that give
birth, and historians believe that the link
between intercourse and childbirth had not
yet been discovered.
Considering there were 9 months between conception
and birth, I could see how there could be
a disconnect.
The second theory is that the men spent a
lot of time at sea, leaving the women to essentially
run the land and thus take up all the powerful
and influential positions while the men were
away.
Whatever the reason, their view on women was
still quite different from any other of the
time, and even in many modern cultures!
Number 6: Religion.
There is not much that is known about the
Minoan religion, except for the fact that
it paid an important role in their lives.
What is known, however, is the male deities
played more of a minor role in their beliefs
and that their goddesses played a far more
important role in their religion.
But, with that said, it's not known if they
had multiple goddesses or simply one with
different aspects to her.
It is known is that there was one known to
be called the Mistress of the Animals, but
there are also 2 others, the snake goddess
and also a household goddess.
There is some speculation that the Greek goddesses
Hera and Artemis may have actually originated
from these Minoan Deities.
Throughout Crete there are plenty of shrines
that have been discovered in caves, on hilltops,
and in houses throughout the former Palace
of Knossos.
Some of the Artifacts and fossils found around
these suggest that they also partook in dance,
and sometimes even sacrifice as part of their
rituals.
These traditions were likely passed on to
other areas of Greece as time progressed.
Be sure to check out our video on ancient
Greece so you can see the similarities and
differences between these cultures!
Number 5: The Minotaur in the Labyrinth.
If you have ever played a game, or even watched
a movie featuring a Minotaur, you can probably
thank the Minoans and their very own Minotaur
that was rumored to live there.
According to Greek mythology; and if you don't
know what it is already, the Minotaur was
half man half bull.
And, in the case of the one in their labyrinth,
it was the offspring of the then Cretan Queen,
Pasiphae, when she fell pregnant from a beautiful
and majestic bull after having a spell put
over her causing her to fall in love with
the beast.
Umm...interesting...
Anyway, the resulting offspring was a Minotaur
that quickly grew to a monstrous size and
developed a taste for human flesh.
As such, the then king ordered for a labyrinth
to be built to house the Minotaur and he was
given offerings on an annual basis in order
to stop his bloodlust.
It was said that any who enter the labyrinth
would never to be seen again.
That was...until the Athenian hero Theseus
volunteered to be a tribute before killing
the Minotaur, bringing an end to its bloodlust.
Number 4: Strong Trade Routes.
While the Spartans are known worldwide for
their warriors, and while war was not uncommon
at the time, the Minoans it seems did not
have any enemies, when Knossos was dug up
in the 19th century there were no signs of
fortifications to protect them from others,
nor were there any signs of struggle found,
either.
The reason for this is that the Minoans were
exceptionally good at trade and with the crafting
of anything from pottery or weapons, to olives
and olive oils...which were the main export
of the time.
Another aspect of what made them so successful
was their sea faring ways.
Because of this, they were able to travel
long distances relatively safely compared
to most other civilizations of the time, who
were still traveling mostly by land, which
was both costly and slow in comparison to
the Minoan methods.
As such, there is evidence that they held
monopoly over most of the Mediterranean and
that their trade routes included Syria, Asia
Minor and even Egypt!
Number 3: Bull Leaping!
We all love extreme sports, whether its doing
them or simply watching.
It seems like sometimes we just can't get
enough of it.
The Minoans were no exception to this, and
they had an extreme sport of their own...now
known as Bull Leaping.
This sport was much like matadors of today,
but far more dangerous, and didn't involve
a cape and stepping out of the way.
Basically, it seemed that the objective of
the sport was to get a bull to charge you
and then grab onto their horns while use the
bucking of their heads to launch you up and
over its body.
Of course, no writings of the sport have been
translated, so what we know about the sport
today is based purely on any surviving paintings
from the era, which actually means that we
may be completely wrong.
I mean...it is entirely possible that these
were not games, but rather punishments.
Only further translations of their works will
tell.
Number 2: Potential Warrior Culture.
So far, everything we know about the Minoans
reveal that they were relatively peaceful
and chose to do trade rather than fight against
neighboring opposition.
While this is known to be true, there is also
some evidence that they may have HAD warriors
despite their seemingly peaceful lives.
We already mentioned that they were excellent
craftsmen, and that they made weaponry that
was exported to other places in exchange for
trade, but there were also many weapons and
even armor found among the debris of Knossos.
Aside from these, there are also violent undertones
in their writings and, while it has not been
translated, glyphs of bows, arrows, spears
and daggers were common pictures among the
writings.
Of course, there is no real evidence of them
being warriors, considering the Palace was
not even well fortified, but some speculate
that the islands natural rough terrain could
have been used in the place of building fortifications.
Much like a lot of the history surrounding
the Minoans, we may never discover the truth.
Before we get to number 1, take a moment to
like this video below.
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Number 1: Mysterious Disappearance.
As you might expect, it is quite unusual for
a huge trading superpower to suddenly disappear
and, yet, it seems that this is exactly what
happened to the Minoans.
There is really not much known about what
caused them to disappear.
Some speculate that they were eventually overrun
and destroyed by another economic superpower
from another land.
Others, on the other hand, say that the volcano
Thera erupted and put an end to their reign.
There are, however, problems with both of
these arguments...such as, when the ruins
of the Palace of Knossos was discovered, there
were no obvious signs of the land being forcefully
taken, nor where there signs of volcanic rock
in the area.
By the time the Myceneans moved in on the
island, it is believed that it was already
long abandoned by the Minoans.
So basically apart from these 2 theories,
what actually happened to the Minoans is actually
anybody's guess.
Tell us what you think happened to this ancient
people in the comments below and...take care!
