Minoan civilization, its history is outlined by archaeologists rather schematically. Archaeological finds indicate that the first inhabitants appear to have arrived in Crete around 3000 BC. They came from Asia Minor, that is, from the coast of modern Turkey. Around 2800 BC the first communities began to form on the island, and that cultural and historical phenomenon, which we today call the Minoan civilization, probably took shape around 2600 BC, when the life of the people of the Neolithic era took on more organized forms.
Around 2000 BC the first palaces were erected on the island; they were modest in size and could not be compared with the stately complexes that replaced them.
Since ancient times, Crete has been located in a seismically active zone, and frequent earthquakes inevitably had a detrimental effect on the ancient palaces. After the palace once again fell victim to a disaster, it was rebuilt on an enlarged scale. Knossos, in the north of the island, Mallia, 20 miles east of it, and Festus in the far south are just the main of the once majestic palace ensembles that lie in ruins today.
Once upon a time, the walls of these palaces were decorated with amazing frescoes, and huge treasures were kept in the treasuries. The pantries and granaries were striking in their size, and they contained everything necessary for the most luxurious life. These palaces were the centers of civilization, and small towns quickly grew and developed around them. Trade flourished. Nature generously endowed Crete with many convenient harbors, and the Minoans, being skillful sailors, were active in trade with mainland Greece, the northern Mediterranean and Egypt.
We know almost nothing about the administrative system that developed in Crete during the Minoan era. Meanwhile, there is every reason to believe that social partnership reigned in Minoan society. The palaces had practically no defensive fortifications - the best proof of peacefulness and social stability. In the art of the Minoan era, battle scenes, images of weapons and military themes are almost completely absent.
According to mythology, the Minoans had an impressive fleet to guard their shores and repel pirate raids, but although fortified Minoan outposts are known to exist along the Mediterranean coast, there is no evidence that the Minoans came to these places as invaders. Nevertheless, the ancient Greek myths, which developed much later, tell many dark stories about King Minos (whose name, it should be noted, became the name of the entire Cretan civilization), claiming that he ruled the entire Mediterranean with what is called an iron hand. According to legends, a much more militant society existed in Crete than the practically unfortified palaces and the absence of military themes in the monuments of Minoan art suggest.
The Minoans left quite a few traces of material culture that would make it possible to judge who they were and where they came from. Moreover, we also know nothing about their language. At the same time, we know that the Minoans were skilled artisans and in particular, like many other inhabitants of Western Europe of the Late Stone and Bronze Age, they loved to depict all kinds of curls and spirals.
I have always believed that such an almost universal passion for this motive in ancient art has religious roots. Crete has found a variety of decorative frescoes that adorned the walls of luxurious palaces, and many hundreds of carved seals. In particular, the Minoans reached a high level in the creation of exquisite ceramics, many of which are found on the island. Ceramics, stone cutters, bone carvers and goldsmiths took part in the decoration and decoration of the walls and vaults of the palaces. The fact is that these palaces were not just residential chambers, but could rightfully be considered a kind of sanctuaries and cult centers.
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The Minoans did not erect grandiose temples, comparable to the complexes of the Nile Valley and later Greece, preferring to turn natural caves in the mountains, as well as small crypts in the palaces themselves, into sanctuaries. These crypts served as, as it were, artificially created analogs of caves. The god of heaven, the predecessor of Zeus, who, according to the Greeks, was born in Crete, was worshiped on the tops of the mountains, above which dazzling arrows of lightning can be seen on stormy summer nights.
Miniature sanctuaries have been found on the island, but they are usually almost completely devoid of any decorations, with the exception of the doves depicted at the very top of the columns. Moreover, the dove was often depicted in a stylized-sacred manner. Large sanctuaries existed outside the palace complexes. Depressions around the entire circumference of the columns in small sanctuaries may indicate that the libations of oil were performed directly on the columns themselves. But where are the images of the Minoan gods?
It seems that the Minoans simply did not need images of the gods to worship them. If the Minoans believed that the gods are in the real world and are inseparable from it, then it is quite possible to make the assumption that they did not consider it possible to create their images from clay or stone. The Minoans were people who adored nature, and they apparently believed that the gods constantly surrounded them, that they were everywhere: in the mountains, in fertile valleys, in olive groves and river streams.
But, unwittingly guessing what exactly the Phaistos disc was, I began to suspect that the Minoans could have some other objects for worship, besides nature. If this disk was in fact a calendar, it was likely that the Minoans were studying the starry sky. And we have evidence that definitely confirms that the Minoans actually studied it. But then, did not the ancient Cretans worship celestial bodies, which, as they could observe, moved across the sky at regular intervals?
The likelihood of this seemed quite possible. The very appearance of these celestial bodies served for the Minoans as convincing proof of the uselessness of their earthly counterparts. As a result, the complete absence of statues. But if this is so, then the Minoans must have had a belief that the gods were born in mountain caves and only after that they ascended to heaven. This possibility looked quite intriguing, but I needed proof of the validity of this version.
Over time, delving deeper into the essence of the issue and formulating for myself my thoughts about the Phaistos disc, I began to understand that all the evidence I needed is … right in front of me, on the disc itself. And I decided to turn to the analysis of signs as numbers. Yes, yes, numbers played a major role here.
Knossos palace. Layout
In Crete, 4 main palaces of the Minoans were found and excavated - Mallia, Knossos, Festus and Zakroe, in addition to many dozen buildings, settlements, ports and places of worship. The population of the island at that time appears to be quite significant. There is no doubt that the main palaces did not rise in splendid isolation in the middle of a deserted desert, because it is known that quite large settlements existed right near their gates.
We owe much of our modern knowledge about the history of the Minoan civilization to the tireless energy of Sir Arthur Evans, who at the very beginning of the 20th century conducted active and large-scale excavations in Crete. And although some hypothetical reconstructions of the Palace of Knossos undertaken by Evans were subsequently subjected to fairly well-founded criticism, on the whole he was an authoritative and sophisticated archaeologist who carefully and carefully removed the decrepit veils of time, which closed the Minoan era from us.
A modern tourist who has visited the Palace of Knossos, which is rightfully considered the most majestic among all the palaces of Crete, is presented with an archaeological site of such an impressive scale that an experienced guide is absolutely necessary for it, or at least a detailed plan-scheme of the palace complex. It was here, in this palace, according to scientists, that the same labyrinth existed in which the formidable monster - the Minotaur - lived. Needless to say, the story is very curious, except for two facts.
The word "labyrinth" comes from the ancient "labrys" which means "double ax". The double ax motif is found on many of Crete's historical sites, and it has been suggested that the Palace of Knossos may have been known as the Palace of the Double Ax. In addition, the plan - the scheme of the palace is extremely complex. There were so many interconnected passages, chambers, rooms and light wells in it that Theseus can be forgiven for mistaking the palace for a giant-sized maze-trap.
All Minoan palaces were built according to a single plan; their main buildings were located around an elongated courtyard. The buildings were oriented so that the axis of this courtyard deviated slightly from the north-south axis. In the Palace of Knossos, stone-faced facades with columns, buttresses and carved portals on all sides open onto the courtyard. Some parts of the palace building could be 4 or even 5 stories high, forming an impressive complex that rose on a natural hill with a courtyard area at the top, which was cleared before construction began.
The later version of the Palace of Knossos was entirely built of stone, and only the floor beams were made of solid tree trunks. The bearing pillars were slightly bent back and were not hidden in the thickness of the walls. Huge staircases also rested on pillars, representing the true wonders of the art of building, which modern architects have not ceased to admire for many decades. In those rooms where there were no windows, light came through steep light wells coming from the roof. All rooms were ventilated using large removable screens, which made it possible to reduce the size of the rooms themselves and at the same time ensure the regulation of the temperature inside the building.
In the western part of the huge rectangle, next to the storerooms and storehouses, there were ritual and cult rooms. Most of the eastern wing was occupied by ceremonial halls, from the windows of which a view of gardens and similar parks opened. In some parts of the complex, it is still possible to see narrow corridors and passages, giving the feeling that you suddenly found yourself in a tangled labyrinth without windows. But when you find yourself in the state apartments and spacious corridors, the light falling on the walls highlights fragments of marvelous ancient frescoes. They capture literally all aspects of the life of the inhabitants of the island, as well as the inhabitants of the sea, for example, frolicking dolphins. In general, naturalistic scenes are a characteristic feature of the art of the Minoan era. And everywhere - juicy, lively flavor.
Examining the numerous chambers and halls, skillfully laid drain pipes, and bearing in mind that there was once running water here, and, of course, marveling at the grandiose scale of the Knossos Palace, as well as the palace in Festus, which is not inferior to it in luxury and splendor, and a somewhat more "provincial" palace complex in Mallia, it is difficult not to pay tribute to the art of ancient architects and artisans who were able to erect such durable structures using tools from the Bronze Age.
Take the amazing hanging stairs at the Palace of Knossos. To build them, the Minoans needed to have solid knowledge of the strength of materials - about the distribution of forces and loads. The palaces were surrounded by smaller buildings. They are not inferior to them in purely architectural merits, as, incidentally, are small villas and villages scattered around the island. Ordinary residential buildings often had two, even three floors, while on the flat roofs of many houses sheds and awnings were arranged, allowing residents to sleep in the fresh air on sweltering summer nights.
Outside the city limits, numerous archaeological evidences have been found that in antiquity there was an extensive network of roads on the Island that connected the "outback" with commercial, religious and social centers. These roads were laid with great care, so that carts on large wooden wheels could freely travel along them to the ports and back, and subsequently chariots loaded with gold for goldsmiths, luxurious fabrics from North Africa, all kinds of pigments for making paints and rubbing, metal castings from which weapons and armor were made, and, in the end, ivory and precious and ornamental minerals.
Minoan civilization - map
All this was delivered to Crete. Instead, the same carts were taken from the palaces to the ports of the product, which could be safely called the most elegant and delicate ceramics of its time. There were bowls with walls no thicker than eggshells, and jugs, and sacrificial vessels, the paintings of which glorified life and shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. In the safe harbors, ships swayed at anchorage, loaded with wool, honey, grain and olive oil. On board were both gifts to the pharaohs of Egypt, and cargoes necessary for the settlements of the Minoans on the distant shores, somewhere beyond the northern and western edges of the horizon.
In addition to the skills required to construct such imposing buildings as the palaces of Knossos and Phaistos, it is only natural to assume the existence of complex infrastructure in a society that provided such a large-scale circulation of goods that the rulers of Crete managed to achieve. The Minoan civilization resembles the more organized and harsh world of the Incas in pre-Columbian America, although it differs from it in infinitely more dynamism and liveliness.
Probably, there was also a bureaucracy on the island, which permeated all strata of society with its influence. It is possible that there were taxes and taxes levied to keep the state machine running, which was a kind of payment for maintaining the Pax Minoica, which existed for many centuries.
We can assume the existence of a pyramidal system of power among the Minoans, headed by a king or queen, whose residence in a later period, apparently, could be located in the palace of Knossos. Management functions could be carried out by descending palace officials, local governors, whose residences served as rural villas and, possibly, small palaces in the remote areas of the island. Such governors were almost sovereign rulers in their areas; they levied taxes and levies on merchants, farmers and fishermen.
The collected funds went up the chain, replenishing the pantries and treasuries of the palaces. Since there is no news of unrest and revolts during this era, it is likely that the taxes levied by the ruler were not too onerous. Otherwise, if the threat of uprisings were real, it would require the construction of much more solid fortifications than those that were in Knossos and other palaces.
There was an assumption that at that time the beginnings of private enterprise already existed. So, there is no doubt that the villas located near the ports, and other residences of the powerful of this world belonged to rich merchants who conducted their own trade. It is not entirely clear what kind of relations developed between these wealthy businessmen and representatives of the authorities, although complete independence in some cases could lead to robbery and unrest.
But no information about this kind of unrest has survived. One gets the impression that the Minoan civilization was a society of equals, representing - in embryonic form - a model of the later democratic ideals of Greece, which slowly developed and formed in Crete. However, all this is nothing more than a tempting version of the social history of the island, although the Minoans, without a doubt, were free people, imbued with a spirit of freedom, and were no more tolerant of the authoritarian inclinations of local rulers than the modern inhabitants of Crete, whose motto is proud phrase: "Better death than slavery."
As you can see, the Minoans had a developed sense of individuality. All kinds of jewelry, especially for women, were deliberately numerous and immediately caught the eye. Men in frescoes and ceramics are rarely depicted in any other clothes, except for loincloths, while queens or priestesses wore long, loose skirts with special folds, somewhat reminiscent of the robes of Spanish flamenco dancers.
Form-fitting blouses accentuated the femininity of the figure, leaving the breasts completely exposed. Head turbans or huge hats, the styles of which - at least among women of the ruling elite - often changed, judging by the surviving fragments of paintings and miniature figurines, were in great use.
Our understanding of ancient history is based on a bizarre interweaving of real facts and speculation. As for the Minoans, who left negligible written evidence and monuments (moreover, none of them has yet been deciphered), then in our knowledge about them there are inevitably huge gaps that have to be filled with more or less plausible hypotheses.
But the speechless cannot lie, and the massive stone walls of the Palace of Knossos, spread over an area of hundreds of acres on a cut-off hilltop near the modern city of Heraklion, are silent testimonies of strong and confident people who did not live in their own a closed world and proudly, without bowing their heads, entered the huge halls of the divine pharaohs of Egypt.
These were people worthy of respect who had to be reckoned with, as evidenced by the murals and grave goods found in Egypt. This is a real proof of the existence of close contacts between the Egyptian kingdom and Crete. After all, it is likely that the legacy they left to the world as the sum of their accumulated knowledge may prove immeasurably more important and valuable than the finest works of art ever created in the workshops of Knossos.
A. Butler