Minoan Civilization

In this video, I look at the Bronze Age civilization on Crete known as the Minoans.

[stonechad_squirtle]

Iike everyone else, im incredibly happy to have found your channel
Between you, the historcrat, the fall of civ and a few more history channels ive really been scratching an itch for history that ive had since i was a kid. You, and all educational youtubers are so important and bring so much free knowledge to people every day.

[annascott]

@ 39:02 the position of the bull-leaper’s back is very possible, in fact. It’s common in gymnastics and yoga. One just has to be limber and intermediate level. But this position in Particular is part of a back handspring and there are various yoga movements where it’s present as well ;)

[Wallyworld]

I really like the idea of The Minoan Volcano/Tsunami being the inspiration for Plato's Atlantis. It's so much more plausible then what I've heard floated by Randall Carlson. I've heard Randall suggest multiple locations for Atlantis' whereabouts. His most recent I heard was his claim since it's called "Atlantis" it must be located in the Atlantic Ocean. Plate tectonics shifted causing it to drop at the seam of 2 tectonic plates. I had assumed it was just made up whole cloth by Homer but it would make sense if it was inspired by the Minoans.

[ginarelic]

Love your organized style and how you layered the info from known to speculative!

[LTrotskystCentury]

"History channel esque proportions" of speculation. Probably the funniest thing I've heard in a month.

[Knaeben]

I love a good History-Channelesque level of speculation.

[ant]

That's impressive. The Lapis came from Afghanistan.

[kimberlyperrotis]

I understand that Evans’ incorrect reassembly of the fresco fragments was because he took parts from different rooms’ frescos and tried to make pictures out of them. He did provide some archaeological value, but his reconstructions were destructive, and permanent, leaving little possibility of later, more advanced scientists, correcting his goofs. An archaeologist doesn’t have to be right about everything, but shouldn’t destroy anything, either.

[alexanderSydneyOz]

Thanks so much for these high quality presentations. There are knowledgeable amateurs on YT - and hat's off to them - but they tend to lack the crisp accuracy, adherence to known facts, and structure of genuine university quality lectures.

[SomeDude]

"Which refers to morons.." you crack me up every lecture. Keep it up Thersi-light.

[heliossky]

thanks for putting this together! i really enjoyed the good information.

[obenrob]

I am a bit critical of the notion that we do not know if women had equal status to that of men in Minoan society. In court clay tablets from Mycenae women were mentioned in relation to their husband or some other man while their names aren't mentioned at all. But during the sub-minoan period after the Mycenaean invasion of Crete we have linear B tablets were women with both greek and minoan names are mentioned owning property and possessions. This very possibly a representation of Minoan society that Mycenaeans either could not or did not care to suppress. Why would the Mycenaeans introduce a social structure that did not exist in Mycenae?



And Mycenaean priestesses, who were immensely influenced by minoan priestesses, also had authority and were among the few Mycenaean women who are mentioned by name in court documents. Women having authority in temples was also quite common in near eastern bronze age civilizations. We see this at the very least in both Sumer, Egypt and the Hittite empire. Women in Egypt were also quite equal to men before the law in regards to property ownership and divorce. Considering that Crete had close ties to Egypt while also considering the evidence from Mycenae and other contemporary civilizations I do not not find it absurd at all to consider it very likely that women had equal or near-equal status to that of men.



The notion of a "matriarchy" is of course absurd, rather it would have been like other near eastern civilizations with a separate king and temple were women could obtain high status. Temples of this time were administrative centres that controlled plots of land, resources and had immense political power.

[reptilez]

No no no. I have seen "bull leaping" live in Wabash, OH @ the Mack Arena. no joke.

[chochonubcake]

About bull leaping: it would also be a great way to attract attention, especially female attention. Men have been know to do crazier things for the same goal.

[Alexeiyeah]

I have a great fascination for the Minoans, more than everything else in greek history (not counting Medieval Rome). There's something of a... Mythycal... Quality to them. So misterious... I dunno...

[AndyKaknes]

Dr. Ester Salgarella, a Junior Research Fellow in Classics at St John’s College, Cambridge, is doing ground breaking research in the study of Linear A and its parallels with Linear B.

[MaryBennett]

Thersites, do you happen to know how early it was that the Minoans had bees--I gather you mean domesticated bees and not just wild honey? I ask because, as I am sure you know, there was a tablet found in which the last, or nearly the last king of Mari described having just introduced bees into his city--small creatures which never stop working! Mari ceased to be independent in about 1760 BC or thereabouts. I am wondering how early the Minoans might have had domesticated bees.

[TinyEpics]

Nice channel by the way! Just subscribed.

[IblameBlame]

If there are Mycenean Linear B tablets from the same time frame as Minoan Linear A ones and Cretan Hieroglyphics, there is a remote chance that some Rosetta-stone type document will eventually be found, right?

[gequitz]

On warfare, there's the tomb of the Griffin Warrior (a Minoan warrior buried in the Peloponnese), and the Pylos combat agate (a really nice carving of 2 warriors fighting). Although it was quite late into Minoan history (15th century BC), it does suggest the Minoans had a history of mercenary work, and war in general.