Crete and the Minoan Civilization

Up until the 2^nd millennium BC, true civilization had been limited to southwest Asia and Egypt. Both societies were based along rivers. These riparian civilizations used the rivers as sources of fresh water for drinking but more importantly for irrigation. They also offered virtually endless supplies of food in the form of fish and other aquatic creatures. A river also served as a good line of defense and it provided an easy route for transport.

These features may have been the primary factors that led to the initial flourishing of civilization along these waterways. During this 2^nd millennium before the birth of Christ, civilizations would arise elsewhere along rivers. The first Chinese dynasties that can be reliably documented appear sometime around 1700 BC.

Eventually, civilized arrangements of human society would appear in Europe as well. By civilized is meant the inclination toward urban environments and high levels of organization. These features would first appear on the island of Crete. Historians refer to this ancient and extinguished culture as the Minoan civilization.

Safety on the High Seas

Crete’s advance to civilization in the 3^rd millennium BC may have been spurred by its separation from the rest of the world. Once the island reached a fairly uniform and stable cultural level, the people could enjoy the fruits of their labors without much concern about invasion. Such large fleets capable of travel on the high seas, rather than along the coastal waters, are not known to have existed at the time. Free of these concerns about the safety of their frontiers, the Minoans may have been able to advance on relatively peaceful terms to the Bronze Age.

Religion

A Minoan goddess.

 

It is difficult to decipher the meanings of the Minoan relics. Many centuries have passed since this culture stagnated in the shadows that lie along the border between history and prehistory. Until just a century ago, the ancient, high culture of this island was suspected only through some passages in ancient Greek literature, such as Homer’s Odyssey.

From what historians and archaeologists have been able to study, Cretan society at this time may have been matriarchal. Most of the deities that they worshipped appear to have been goddesses. However, one of their most sacred symbols was the bull. Judging from the natural concerns of all ancient peoples about the continuation of their lives and the success of their crops, the religion probably focused greatly on fertility. There is little evidence available, though, to prove this with certainty.

Writing

The Minoans had developed their own form of writing. The script that they used is now known as Linear A. As of yet, there is no understanding of the meaning of this language among scholars. While Egyptian and Sumerian languages have been successfully deciphered, thanks to archaeological discoveries of translations such as the Rosetta stone, the language of this mysterious people remains unknown.

The End

Minoan civilization flourished for centuries. How it came to an end is not known. However, the circumstances of its finale are not quite as mysterious as those of other civilizations whose origins lie in prehistory. Sometime during the 2^nd millennium BC, around the same time that Cretan palaces and cities show signs of destruction, an immense volcano on the nearby island of Thera erupted. 

Satellite image of Thera in 2000

Scientific studies have shown that this would have been one of the greatest volcanic eruptions of recorded history. It essentially destroyed the island of Thera and probably pounded the shores of Crete with tsunamis. Some historians have postulated that this eruption during the prehistory of mainland Greece, and the general destruction which followed it, may have given rise to the story of Atlantis.