Linear A remains undeciphered. The video argues that the Minoans were Europe's first advanced civilization, an interpretation rather than an established classification. Thera erupted around 1600 BCE, buried Akrotiri and generated a tsunami that reached Crete, but Minoan trade and culture continued. Mycenaean Greeks took control of Knossos and other palaces by about 1450 BCE, ending independent Minoan rule. Evans began excavating in 1900 and controversially reconstructed parts of Knossos with reinforced concrete. 📜🌋
Linear A remains undeciphered; Thera and Mycenaean takeover reshaped Minoan Crete
Key facts
- The video argues that the Minoans were Europe's first advanced civilization; this is an interpretive label, not a settled archaeological classification.
- Knossos lacked the massive defensive walls characteristic of Mycenaean citadels; Minoan influence depended heavily on maritime trade and sea power.
- Minoan pottery reached elite Egyptian contexts, including tombs, while Minoan trade extended across Egypt, the Levant, Anatolia and Sicily.
- Minoans obtained tin, including from Anatolian sources, African ivory, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and ostrich eggs from Egypt.
- Kamares ware used white, red and other colors on a dark ground and was exported across the Mediterranean as elite ceramics.
- Linear A appears on clay tablets, vessels, seals and ritual objects. Its signs and numerical notation are known, but the script remains undeciphered.
- The Phaistos Disc was discovered in 1908 at the Palace of Phaistos and carries individually stamped symbols in a spiral.
- Thera, now Santorini, lies roughly 70 miles north of Crete and erupted with exceptional force around 1600 BCE.
- Akrotiri was buried beneath volcanic deposits, preserving buildings, pottery and frescoes. Tsunami deposits show that the wave reached Crete; specific damage to maritime infrastructure is not securely documented.
- Knossos survived the eruption, suffered earthquake damage, and Minoan trade and culture continued for generations.
- Mycenaean Greeks took control of Knossos and other Cretan palaces by about 1450 BCE, ending independent Minoan political rule. A single military conquest of all Crete is not established.
- Minos Kalokairinos began significant excavation at Knossos in 1878. Sir Arthur Evans began excavating in 1900, coined the name 'Minoans' after King Minos, and later reconstructed substantial portions using stone, timber and reinforced concrete.
Sources
Cretan Fortifications (Part 1) - Archaeology Wikiarchaeology.wiki
Another type of defence architecture developed in palaces: the guard rooms located in Phaistos and Knossos. Beacons (“Piles'') are among the ...
Lesson 12: Narrative – Aegean Prehistoric Archaeologysites.dartmouth.edu
Another feature that is above all typical of Knossos is the lavish decoration of the walls of the palace with figured wall-paintings on several different scales ...
Knossos - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The site was occupied from the Neolithic period into the first millennium AD and became the largest and best-known centre of the Minoan civilisation.
Mycenaean Architecture: Cyclopean Walls, Lion Gate & Ancient ... - Athenstickets-athens.com
The Cyclopean walls of Mycenae were built with limestone boulders weighing up to 20 tons, stacked without mortar. These walls, up to 8 meters thick, enclosed ...
Knossos and the Minoans of Crete - The Royal Tourtheroyaltourblog.com
Knossos Palace would have had four gates, basically corresponding to the compass points, and would have been surrounded by a full city, though ...
Half Bull, Half Truth – the Minoan Palace of Knossosalisonanddon.com
Kouloures: The function of the circular pits is not clear. They have been interpreted as rubbish dumps either for all the refuse from the Palace ...
REBUILDING THE PALACE OF MINOS AT KNOSSOSashmolean.org
Delve into Sir Arthur Evans' restoration of the Palace of Minos at Knossos and how it's now recreated in a 3D digital model with Ashmolean curator, ...
Knossos (article) | Minoankhanacademy.org
In addition, sunk into the open court to the west of the palace were large, deep, circular pits lined with plastered stone, called Kouloures, which ...
Was this story useful?
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.