How Did The Minoan Influence Ancient Greek Culture

Lesson 3: CIVILIZATIONS OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
ESSAY 1: MINOAN AND MYCENEAN INFLUENCE ON ANCIENT GREECE
HIST 119

While the masses of the ancient Near East endowed us with civilization, the Greeks supplied it with forms and meanings that compel us to look to them as the ancestors of our own culture, Western Civilization. Greek ability and vitality spread in diverse courses. Notable portions of our math and science bases plus the concept of scientific research and the procuring of knowledge separated from any religious or political jurisdiction goes back to the Greeks. The natural principles of such Greeks as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle devised the bases for the way we observe the world today. Our art, architecture, drama, literature, and poetry are all substantially based on Greek paragons. And possibly most significant, our concepts of democracy, the value of the individual in society, and toleration of
nonconformity and unobstructed critique as a measure of ameliorating civilization were all outcomes of the Greek intellect. Even those captious of our personal culture and Western Civilization overall have the Greeks, originators of Western Civilization, to acknowledge for that very prerogative. Greece 's physical geography influentially impacted its past. Greece was a hilly and mountainous land, splitting it up into literally hundreds of self-governing city-states. These city-states consumed much of their continuance battling one another rather than copulating in a mutual motive. Greece was also by the sea with numerous inherent harbors. This and the fact that it had infertile soil and few natural resources impelled the Greeks to be tradesmen and mariners, following in the footfall of the Phoenicians and ultimately surpassing them. The Minoans (circa 2000-1500 B.C.) were the earliest Greek civilization on the isle of Crete just south of Greece. (Chambers, 2010). Quite distinctly, the Minoans were densely influenced by two classical Near Eastern civilities, Mesopotamia and Egypt, by means of the Cycladic Islands, which acted as natural stepping stones across the sea, for the spread of masses from Greece and of refined concepts from the Middle East. (Culture, 2012). Egyptian influence on the Minoans is particularly obvious. Minoan architecture utilized pillars much as Egyptian architecture did. Minoan art further appears to follow the example of Egyptian art by only exhibiting subjects in profile, rarely frontally. Still, the Minoans appended their personal impressions, fashioning their figures as much more natural looking than the still figures we find in Egyptian art. Since modern researchers have not been able to understand the scant examples of their hieroglyphic writing, identified as Linear A, there are some extremely large gaps in the delineation we have of these people. Even basic information is unknown such as what the common people on Crete called themselves. The term Minoans comes from Greek myths involving a legendary king of Crete, Minos, who supposedly governed a vast sea empire. As with most myths, there is a piece of truth in this myth, for the Minoans were seafaring people who depended on their fleet and trade for power and wealth. (Minoans, Mycenaeans, 2012). Two things, both relating to Crete 's maritime locality, chiefly defined the character of the Minoan 's civilization. First, they had a vast naval force, which was valuable for both trade and protection. Second, Crete 's secluded locality symbolized no significant threat to its safety at this time and therefore, little need for fortifications. These two factors helped create a peaceful and prosperous civilization reflected in three aspects of Minoan culture: its cities and architecture, the status of its women, and its art, especially its pottery. The expert naval force remained a feature throughout future civilizations in Greece. The Minoans had various main cities that centralized around palace complexes which accumulated the island 's surplus economic resources as taxes and redistributed it to sustain the diverse activities that identify a civilization: arts, crafts, trade, and government.
The sophistication of the Minoans is also shown by the fact that they had water pipes, sewers, and even toilets with pipes leading to outside drains. Since their island position eliminated the need for fortifications, Minoan cities were less crowded and more spread out than cities in other civilizations. Minoan women seem to have had notably greater status than their equivalents in various other ancient cultures. A likely reason was that, in the lack of a commanding warrior class and a steady need for protection, they had further opportunity for achieving any social growth. This is mirrored in their religion where the principal deity was an earth goddess. Minoan art furthermore portrays women as being much freer, even partaking in dangerous rituals with men. (Fitton,
2002) Minoan art particularly its pottery, also reveals a tranquil, flourishing society, portraying botanical designs and marine wildlife rather than exhibitions of battle. It 's dispersion around the Aegean and Mediterranean attest that Minoan influence was truly broad, extending throughout the Cycladic Islands and Southern Greece. The myth of Theseus and the Minotaur where Athens had to send a yearly sacrifice of its children to Crete reflects Minoan rule and indicates that it might not always have been so peaceful. Recent archaeological evidence indicates the Minoans did at times practice human sacrifices. (Fitton, 2002) Minoan civilization endured to prosper until it approached an abrupt and perplexing expiration. A union of archaeology and mythology furnish evidences to how this may have happened. The principal event was a massive volcanic eruption that partly submersed the island of Thera, eighty miles northeast of Crete. This eruption had three devastating effects: a shock wave which wrecked Crete 's cities, a tidal wave which exterminated its navy and massive result of volcanic ash, which infected its crops. Together these weakened the Minoans enough to let other people, such as the Mycenaean Greeks ultimately take over around 1450 B.C. However, their culture remained as the foundation for the succeeding Myceneans and Greeks, many of which that made up myths rich in Greek culture. The Mycenaeans (c.1500-1100 B.C.) were Greeks from the mainland who took advantage of the Minoans ' weakened state to conquer Crete and seize Minoan dominance of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. (Chambers, 2010). They were a zealous and energetic people who engaged in trade and some piracy over a wide area spreading from southern Italy in the west to Troy and the Black Sea in the northeast. We are nearly as much obscured about Mycenaean antiquity and culture as we are about the Minoans. We do have some written records in a script called Linear B which chiefly pertain to formal tax records and inventories. Three varieties of testimony tell us at minimal a little about Mycenaean society. First of all, we understand that they were partitioned into distinct city-states such as Mycenae, Pylos, Tiryns, and Athens. The majority of these consisted of deeply fortified central palace complexes which ruled over enveloping villages. The Mycenaeans attempted to run these as highly centralized states such as existed in Egypt and Mesopotamia. We do not know if these city-states were entirely self-governing or looked to one city, most likely Mycenae, for guidance. However, sources, such as the Iliad tell us that the Mycenaeans could join in a mutual effort such as the Trojan War. (Schofield, 2007) Second, the art, armor, and remains of fortifications, such as those at Mycenae, tell us the Mycenaeans were much more warlike than the Minoans. Later Greeks had no idea of the existence of Mycenaean civilization and thought these massive walls and gates had been built by a mythical race of giants known as the Cyclopes. Finally, archaeological relics further tell us that the Mycenaeans, at least the upper classes, were fabulously prosperous from trade and presumably sporadic piracy. Relics such as gold funeral masks, jewelry, bronze weapons, tripods, and a storeroom with 2853 stemmed goblets all attest to the Mycenaeans ' wealth. Keep in mind this is only what has been found, as there is no way to measure what has been taken by thieves. Around 1200 B.C., a period of departures and turbulence commenced that would debilitate and ultimately destroy Mycenaean civilization. . Once again, the main troublemakers were the Sea Peoples whom we have seen destroy the Hittite Empire, conquer the coast of Palestine, and shake the Egyptian Empire to its sheer foundations. The Sea Peoples also hit the Mycenaeans, destroying some settlements and driving other inhabitants inland or across the sea away from their raids. The historical Trojan War and sack of Troy took place at this time at the hands of the Mycenaeans, who may have been running from and, in some cases, joining up with the Sea Peoples. Hittite records associate their own decline with people known as "Achaeans" (Greeks). (Schofield, 2007) Whatever role the Mycenaeans may have played in all these raids, the result was widespread turmoil as cities were sacked, populations displaced, and trade disrupted. Even though, the Mycenaeans survived the actual assault of the Sea Peoples, they did not endure the aftermath of all this destruction. Reduced revenue from trade may have caused more warfare between the city-states over the meager resources left in Greece. This warfare would only serve to weaken the Mycenaeans further, wreck trade even more, and aggravate grain shortages at home. This recurring feedback of problems opened the way for a new wave of Greek tribes, the Dorians, to move down and take over much of Greece. A period of anarchy and poverty now settled over the Greek world which virtually blotted out any memories of the Minoans and Mycenaeans. From historical evidence, there are essential elements that provided insight into how the Myceneans may have influenced future Greeks. Language to start, Myceneans spoke Greek in a remarkably similar dialect. They used a syllabic-graphic alphabet with symbols quite similar to later Greek letters. From early literature such as Linear B, there is evidence of later Greek gods, which indicates that Greek religion may have been derived from Mycenaean culture. The physical architecture of Greek was also founded on Mycenaean example of the use of columns, the strong fortifications and walls. Mycenaean knowledge of the world, of the wars they fought and the experience of their adventures of exploration, created many myths and legends that were passed from generation to generation throughout future Greek civilizations, mainly through songs that spoke of kings, of heroes and of minor or principal Gods. Those songs and legends in time became famous epic poetry (i.e. the Iliad and the Odyssey) or exceptionally influential myths. This is an essential factor in influencing future generations of Greeks as numerous heroes and kings belong to that period of Greek pre-history that was passed to the later Greeks surrounded in a mythical mist. The lives of persons that truly existed mix with strange places, terrifying beasts, menacing witches and powerful gods, creating a wondrous world that influenced and inspired the ancient Greek culture enormously. However, on top of the foundations laid by these early Greek cultures an even more creative and vibrant civilization would be built, that of the classical Greeks.

Bibliography
Culture. (n.d.). The Ancient Minoans and Mycenaeans . Untitled Document. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www.historylink102.com/greece3/minoans-mycenaens.htm
Fitton, J. L. (2002). Minoans. London: British Museum Press.
Minoans, Mycenaeans. (n.d.). Ancient History. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://ancienthistory.pppst.com/greece/earlyhistory.html
Schofield, L. (2007). The Mycenaeans. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum.