The Truth About Minoan Weapons and Warfare

The Minoan Civilisation of Bronze Age Crete is world famous for the enormous building complexes we know as palaces - and for its exquisite art - expressed in lovely pottery, figurines, and in frescoes of the most exquisite beauty.
Many believe that the Minoan civilisation of Bronze Age Crete was a remarkably peaceful society. But what does the evidence tell us? Were there fortified settlements? Does Minoan artwork show weapons and warriors? And what about all those Minoan daggers, swords, spears, and axes in the archaeological record? This is the story of Weaponry and Warfare in Bronze Age Crete.

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Malice in Wonderland by Barry Molloy from Warfare and Society in the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean
Martial Minoans? War as Social Process, Practice and Event In Bronze Age Crete by Barry Molloy
Excavations in the Hagios Charalambos Cave - Betancourt et al 2008


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*Video Chapters*

00:00 Minoan Cvilization
03:25 Neolithic Aegean Warfare
05:02 Peaceful Minoans?
07:48 Settlement fortifications
10:40 Settlement destruction
11:56 Warriors in Minoan Art
15:15 Votive weapons
16:15 Warrior burials and war wounds
18:18 Minoan Weapons
20:17 Minoan armour and shields
21:48 The Double-axe

[BlaBla-pfmf]

I never believed that minoans were bronze age peaceniks but I always appreciated their fashion sense.

[robincowley]

The samurai used to compose poems about the falling of a snow flake or a cherry blossom petal... Didn't make them peaceful... :)

[kosmas]

Nice video! I'm from Crete and live less than a mile away from Knossos. I always thought that the "peaceful Minoans" myth was an exageration because they were being compared to the Myceneans.
If anyone of you wants to come visit Crete for its ancient past or its wanderful landscape you are always welcome! 😁

[huwhitecavebeast]

People who fall asleep to your videos probably do so because your narration is very consistent in tone and cadence. You sound relaxed, so when repeated consistently it relaxes others.

[JohnCulbard]

I am torn between the time you spend educating us on civilizations of the past and wanting you to continue writing further novels in your Gods of Bronze and Vampire immortal Knight series. Your talent is being spread so far. I love it.

[OneFlyingTonk]

Not only does this man take notice of his subscribers despite his channel's size, he picks up on a pattern and helps to guide us on what we may need, kudos to you man!

On a note with the topic at hand, given how good humans are good at slapping eachother with various objects when disagreements arise, I have always been skeptical of such a successful civilization being "peaceful"...plus the Myceneans probably didn't just show up on Crete and conquer it "just because", they probably accumulated reasons from the Minoans yeeting sling rocks at them.

[eh]

If you think about it, the British Empire was ferociously militaristic — and so commercial that Napoleon called the Brits “a nation of shopkeepers” — yet the subject of much of Georgian, Victorian and Edwarian art was women. 

Domestic decoration in many parts of the world has traditionally been done by women: it often has a protective or invocational aspect to it. Maybe these idyllic, paradisiacal scenes were to help “make it so” in real life. I wonder if women were painting their idealised version of life around them (and proud portraits of their growing boys).

Also — if a fair proportion of the men were sailors, they would be away for months at a time trading / pirating. Travel around the Med was very seasonal with direction according to current and the prevailing winds at different times of year. Women in fishing and seafaring communities do tend to organise/manage village and estate life themselves — the farming year, goods manufacture and often the retail &/or warehousing end of commerce. 

Places with a lot of the mature males absent are bound to be seen as an opportunity for the sailor-pirates from other places. Another reason for training boys up early.

[levongevorgyan]

Archeologists and Historians really liked interpreting ancient cultures as peaceful utopias, didn't they? The Mayans, the Cucuteni, the Minoans. You'd think they'd assume that the violence we see and read about throughout all of human history would just be a universal constant.

[Casmaniac]

It seems so super obvious to me that the reason the Minoans were able to have such a rich and luxurious culture was a result of them having military dominance over their immediate surroundings, perhaps even the wider region

[bethwilliams]

I studied the Minoans in grad school with an expert in Bronze Age archaeology in the 90’s and all I can (still) say is until ‘we’ manage to decipher their language Linear A virtually nothing accurate or definitive can be understood about this intriguing culture - which, I can say, was asymmetrical - literally. Housing structures, painting programmes, stylistic motifs, etc, a completely asymmetrical aesthetic. That is unique. Why, I have no idea, hopefully Linear A, once we can read it, will explain a lot!

[mudgetheexpendable]

I don't fall asleep to your videos, but I do admit to enjoying listening to you. I really enjoy your well-founded, deeply researched videos. Listening to a guy who actually knows what he's talking about is very pleasant. It's the same feeling I get when I read your books.

[kariannecrysler]

It could be fair to say the culture didn’t seek conflict, but weren’t going to be overcome by it either. I love the idea of a “navy” guarding the coast leaving the inland areas for societal and commerce centers. If I was in charge of Crete in the Bronze Age, I would have set it up that way. The island as a port was necessary for all the surrounding cultures. Focusing on a defensive military would be best. No need to steel land for resources, because the trade had to stop there with their cargos anyway, making an offensive military an unnecessary risk.

[stischer]

To say that the Minoans didn't conduct war because there were no scenes of war in their castles is like saying the US does not because there are no scenes of war in many of the homes of rich Americans.

[Stormcloakvictory]

To build such a civilization you need order, for order you need control, for control you need force.

That's just within, let alone other societies wanting a piece of the pie.

[starrmont]

"Malice in Wonderland" is an amazing name for that paper. Great video as always!

[maverick]

I'm one of those that fine your videos not only informative but relaxing as well. I have used your videos for something pleasant to listen to as I drift off at night.

[randomcontent]

I see a Dan Davis video drop, I watch. Don't always comment :) But I need to remember to say thanks - so thanks man, great work as always.

[franc-kristijangogic]

Afaik the story of Theseus states, that Greek cities had to pay tribute to the Minoans. You don't pay tribute to a peaceful neighbour.

[liquidoxygen]

Glad to see this one finally made it over the six-figure-viewcount hump! It certainly deserved it: a wonderful video, as always. Very detailed and very engaging. And hey, looks like I was lucky enough to get the five-hundredth comment, too!

[candylandi]

*General spoiler: no ancient people was peaceful.*
Good video as usual, when I see a new video from Dan Davis or from Survive the Jive it's always a good day.