The Minoans were, for over three millennia, lost to us. They were, perhaps, intimated in myth. They were hinted at in the culture of Greece, and they were perhaps the very foundation of European Civilization through their mercantile ability that helped spread their culture and which may well have doomed them.
The Minoans were, in essence, an Asiatic people. What they thought of themselves is something we may never know, but from explorations of their artwork and architecture, the influence of other Asiatic people is evident, and it may be simply a matter of their own descent from Asiatic cultures rather than influence.
That being said, however, the Minoans appear to have been a unique people who, in the isolation of Crete, an island in the Mediterranean/Aegean, grew into a great mercantile nation that traded with much of the Aegean and Asia (meaning the middle east) as well as Egypt. This trade allowed their culture to spread into what we know as Greece today, and in this the people who would eventually prove to be the downfall of Minoan Civilization, the Mycenaeans, would learn and adopt a lot of their culture and architecture as their own.
But unlike the later Mycenaeans, the Minoans appear not to have had a military culture. Something which may have proven to be their downfall, for when the aggressive Mycenaeans rose as a major force in the Aegean, the Minoans had no way to protect or preserve themselves and their culture from extinction.
We have to speculate about the Minoans. Their written records remain a mystery to us, as no one has ever been able to decipher them, but their artwork, beautifully colorful and full of motion, give us a look into their lives.
As this site is about me and my ideas, I will give you my speculations about the Minoans (which is what we call them, as we have no idea what they may have called themselves)
The Minoans were (remember, my speculations here) a people descended from the same stock as the indigenous people of the Mediterranean Asian Coast which stretches from Egypt to Turkey and includes some of the Aegean Sea, as this is really all one body of water.
The migrations into the sea and onto the Islands of the Aegean and Mediterranean, which include Crete and Cyprus, were very ancient and in essence allowed the peoples of these areas (Cyprus too is known to have harbored pre-Hellenic civilization) to develop independently of the mainland peoples. Because they migrated there, however, they would have had traditional knowledge of other cultures in Asia and on the islands that they could trade with, and in this, the Minoans apparently excelled. Their goods are found all over the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean.
The Asiatic peoples, almost all of them, had strong Matrilinear traditions, so much so that even to this day the Jews consider the Mother to be the one who determines what child is born a Jew. Basically, you’re a Jew if your mother is a Jew. We see this strongly in the art of the Minoans, who seem to place a great deal of importance and focus to the woman, leading many to see the Minoans as a Matriarchal people.
Whether this is true or not is something we may never really know, since the writing of the Minoans remains a mystery, but at the very least, we seem to come to a conclusion that their religion, at least, was Theacentric (OK, not really a word) rather than Theocentric (OK, also not a word) meaning that it was centered around Goddesses to a greater extent than Gods. Whether they were even Polytheistic in the true sense, accepting more than one actual deity, is something we do not really know, but the art suggests that they were.
Their influence on the religion of the later Mycenaeans and Greeks, however, may well be far more important than any of us give them credit for. If the Minoans traveled far and wide into the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, it is only logical to assume they would also have developed colonies or agricultural outposts in a great many places, including mainland Greece, and when the eventual migrations of a northern people, who we will eventually call the Dorians and Ionians (Hellenes) as well as several other tribes, the land of Greece already had people living on it that had a strong matrilinear or Theacentric (Goddess Centered) religion that they would eventually integrate into their own Theocentric (God Centered) religion.
This isn’t to say that I think the Minoans were exclusively Goddess worshippers or that the Hellenes were exclusively God worshippers, that is unlikely, but that the importance of the one versus the other in either system was different and perhaps even opposed.
What we appear to know for sure is that the Minoans were not a martial people. The migrating tribes from the North, however, were, and in this the conclusion was foregone, the Hellenes would displace the Minoans as the main power, both culturally and religiously, in Greece, the Aegean, and the Ionian Coast.
Another contributing factor, of course, is natural disaster, and it is known today that a major volcanic eruption and resulting tidal wave may have caused so much damage to Minoan civilization that even if they had a military infrastructure, or alliances with other military powers, to protect themselves the disaster may have destroyed it.
But the Minoans left their mark, and part of that can be seen in the iconography and mythos of the Goddesses of Greece, especially such mythologies as those of Demeter, Rhea, and Hera Queen of Heaven. Even certain Gods, such as Dionysos, bear witness to Minoan influence and even though they were not themselves Greek, they form the foundation for the eventual rise of Greek civilization and Religion that would dominate Western Civilization forever.
The Minoans were, in essence, an Asiatic people. What they thought of themselves is something we may never know, but from explorations of their artwork and architecture, the influence of other Asiatic people is evident, and it may be simply a matter of their own descent from Asiatic cultures rather than influence.
That being said, however, the Minoans appear to have been a unique people who, in the isolation of Crete, an island in the Mediterranean/Aegean, grew into a great mercantile nation that traded with much of the Aegean and Asia (meaning the middle east) as well as Egypt. This trade allowed their culture to spread into what we know as Greece today, and in this the people who would eventually prove to be the downfall of Minoan Civilization, the Mycenaeans, would learn and adopt a lot of their culture and architecture as their own.
But unlike the later Mycenaeans, the Minoans appear not to have had a military culture. Something which may have proven to be their downfall, for when the aggressive Mycenaeans rose as a major force in the Aegean, the Minoans had no way to protect or preserve themselves and their culture from extinction.
We have to speculate about the Minoans. Their written records remain a mystery to us, as no one has ever been able to decipher them, but their artwork, beautifully colorful and full of motion, give us a look into their lives.
As this site is about me and my ideas, I will give you my speculations about the Minoans (which is what we call them, as we have no idea what they may have called themselves)
The Minoans were (remember, my speculations here) a people descended from the same stock as the indigenous people of the Mediterranean Asian Coast which stretches from Egypt to Turkey and includes some of the Aegean Sea, as this is really all one body of water.
The migrations into the sea and onto the Islands of the Aegean and Mediterranean, which include Crete and Cyprus, were very ancient and in essence allowed the peoples of these areas (Cyprus too is known to have harbored pre-Hellenic civilization) to develop independently of the mainland peoples. Because they migrated there, however, they would have had traditional knowledge of other cultures in Asia and on the islands that they could trade with, and in this, the Minoans apparently excelled. Their goods are found all over the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean.
The Asiatic peoples, almost all of them, had strong Matrilinear traditions, so much so that even to this day the Jews consider the Mother to be the one who determines what child is born a Jew. Basically, you’re a Jew if your mother is a Jew. We see this strongly in the art of the Minoans, who seem to place a great deal of importance and focus to the woman, leading many to see the Minoans as a Matriarchal people.
Whether this is true or not is something we may never really know, since the writing of the Minoans remains a mystery, but at the very least, we seem to come to a conclusion that their religion, at least, was Theacentric (OK, not really a word) rather than Theocentric (OK, also not a word) meaning that it was centered around Goddesses to a greater extent than Gods. Whether they were even Polytheistic in the true sense, accepting more than one actual deity, is something we do not really know, but the art suggests that they were.
Their influence on the religion of the later Mycenaeans and Greeks, however, may well be far more important than any of us give them credit for. If the Minoans traveled far and wide into the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, it is only logical to assume they would also have developed colonies or agricultural outposts in a great many places, including mainland Greece, and when the eventual migrations of a northern people, who we will eventually call the Dorians and Ionians (Hellenes) as well as several other tribes, the land of Greece already had people living on it that had a strong matrilinear or Theacentric (Goddess Centered) religion that they would eventually integrate into their own Theocentric (God Centered) religion.
This isn’t to say that I think the Minoans were exclusively Goddess worshippers or that the Hellenes were exclusively God worshippers, that is unlikely, but that the importance of the one versus the other in either system was different and perhaps even opposed.
What we appear to know for sure is that the Minoans were not a martial people. The migrating tribes from the North, however, were, and in this the conclusion was foregone, the Hellenes would displace the Minoans as the main power, both culturally and religiously, in Greece, the Aegean, and the Ionian Coast.
Another contributing factor, of course, is natural disaster, and it is known today that a major volcanic eruption and resulting tidal wave may have caused so much damage to Minoan civilization that even if they had a military infrastructure, or alliances with other military powers, to protect themselves the disaster may have destroyed it.
But the Minoans left their mark, and part of that can be seen in the iconography and mythos of the Goddesses of Greece, especially such mythologies as those of Demeter, Rhea, and Hera Queen of Heaven. Even certain Gods, such as Dionysos, bear witness to Minoan influence and even though they were not themselves Greek, they form the foundation for the eventual rise of Greek civilization and Religion that would dominate Western Civilization forever.