How the Mycenaeans Conquered Minoan Crete

Bronze Age depiction of a procession of Minoan ships from Akrotiri, Thera. How did the Mycenaeans conquer Minoan Crete? Credit: Public domain

How did the Minoan civilization connected ancient Crete and the Cyclades travel to an end? The azygous top origin progressive was the conquest of Minoan Crete by the Mycenaeans. How and erstwhile did this conquest instrumentality place, and did it adjacent truly happen?

Relations betwixt the Minoans and the Mycenaeans

The Minoan civilization dominated Crete and galore of the Cyclades for overmuch of the Bronze Age. It was chiefly confined to the Middle Bronze Age. Archaeologists specify this play arsenic extending from astir 2000 to astir 1550 BC.

During this era, determination was extended commercialized betwixt the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Archaeologists person recovered galore Minoan luxury items among the Mycenaeans of that period, and vice versa. Genetic studies besides uncover that the 2 peoples were intimately related.

The archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean arsenic a full from that epoch shows that the Minoans were the ascendant trading force. While the Mycenaeans did prosecute successful far-reaching trade, arsenic well, Minoan Crete was overmuch much salient arsenic a halfway of planetary trade.

The Mycenaeans conquer Minoan Crete

However, this narration betwixt the 2 peoples changed successful the Late Bronze Age. This is the play from astir 1550 to 1200 BC, according to astir archaeologists. About a period into this period, astir astir 1450 BC, we spot grounds of monolithic changes connected Crete.

The astir evident archaeological grounds of societal upheaval from this play are the demolition layers. Various important Minoan cities (including Knossos, the astir almighty city) were destroyed astatine this time. We find specified demolition each implicit the island.

Although earthquakes bash hap connected Crete, the demolition that we spot successful this play was intelligibly targeted. In galore cases, lone spiritual buildings oregon administrative buildings were destroyed, portion surrounding structures remained untouched.

There is nary uncertainty whatsoever that humans were liable for these demolition events.

Internal struggle oregon outer invaders?

The beingness of man-made demolition events crossed Crete does not necessarily mean that the land was invaded. Why bash galore scholars reason that Minoan Crete was conquered by the Mycenaeans?

The reason, successful part, is that determination is wide grounds that the Minoans were preparing for warfare successful the decades starring up to this event. For example, this is evident from the operation of antiaircraft walls. For centuries, the Minoans had not placed overmuch worth connected the operation of expansive walls for antiaircraft purposes.

However, successful the decades starring up to astir 1450 BC, the Minoans began constructing antiaircraft walls with large fervor. They built antiaircraft towers, dug caller wells, converted surviving quarters into retention areas, and truthful forth. Everything indicates they were preparing for warfare.

If demolition events astir 1450 BC were the effect of interior conflict, this does not satisfactorily explicate the aforementioned evidence. With interior conflict, we would expect to spot the gathering of antiaircraft structures look concurrently with the demolition layers, but the erstwhile decidedly precedes the latter.

A seaborne invasion

The grounds makes it wide that Minoan Crete was conquered by extracurricular invaders, specified arsenic the Mycenaeans. Since it is evidently improbable that the invaders declared their intent to invade decades successful advance, we tin lone reason that warring was already going connected anterior to astir the twelvemonth 1450 BC, though evidently successful a mounting that near small to nary archaeological evidence.

Therefore, the logical decision is that the Minoans were facing attacks astatine sea. This is evidently what led to their deciding to hole for war. Supporting this decision is grounds from respective Minoan islands.

One illustration is Kythera. This is an land which is close astatine the doorstep of confederate Greece. However, alternatively than being controlled by the Mycenaeans, it was a Minoan colony overmuch similar Crete. In the archetypal portion of the Late Bronze Age, the Minoan colony connected Kythera was destroyed.

At astir the aforesaid time, Minoan settlements connected Rhodes and Milos constructed antiaircraft walls, suggesting they were nether menace of attack. Undoubtedly, determination was a almighty seafaring federation which threatened the Minoans during this period.

Mycenaeans, the conquerors of Minoan Crete

The information that the Mycenaeans conquered Minoan Crete is made wide by this and different evidence. The grounds recounted frankincense acold points to the probability that a powerful, seafaring federation indispensable person been attacking the Minoans.

What different seafaring nations existed astatine that clip that were almighty capable to spell up against specified a ample trading empire? There are not galore options. The Mycenaeans, being geographically closest, are unarguably the astir apt culprits.

Consider the information that the Minoan colony connected Kythera, close adjacent to Greece itself, was destroyed a 2nd clip successful the Late Bronze Age astatine astir the aforesaid clip arsenic the demolition of Knossos and different Cretan cities.

Confirming the lawsuit is the information that the worldly civilization of the Mycenaeans emerges successful important quantities connected Crete conscionable aft the demolition of the Minoan cities.

Furthermore, the publication utilized by administrative centers abruptly changed. Previously, it had been Linear A, the publication of the Minoans. However, aft the demolition events, it changed to Linear B, the publication of the Mycenaeans. Without doubt, the grounds is clear that the Mycenaeans conquered Minoan Crete astir the twelvemonth 1450 BC.