(no subject)
Emma Horesovsky
April 20, 2009
HIST 212
The Decline of the Minoan Civilization: The Result of Volcanic Fallout or Greek Invasion?
Introduction
The Minoans were the first advanced European civilization, coming to power in the Bronze Age. While most other European cultures were struggling to survive, the Minoans had erected elaborate palaces, paved roads, and established a navy, cementing themselves as an early sea power in the Aegean. But by 1450 BCE, the Minoan culture on Crete had disappeared and been replaced by the Mycenaeans. What caused this previously powerful culture to fall into decline?
Archaeologists determined that a great disaster befell the Minoans shortly before the Mycenaeans came to power, but there was great controversy about what exactly that disaster could have been. Geologic records indicated that there had been a large volcanic eruption on the island of Thera some time in the 16th century BCE, but how large of an impact did that eruption have on the Minoans of Crete? Some scholars argued that the eruption itself had a great deal to do with the decline of the Minoans, both through decimating the culture and demoralizing the public. Others claimed that while the eruption did have an impact on the island, the Minoans rebuilt and continued to thrive until invaders from the Greek mainland burned and ransacked the capital city of Knossos.
This paper will examine and evaluate these two theories - taking into account the logic behind them - and from that evaluation conclude which theory provides the most logical explanation for the decline of the Minoan civilization.
Theory: Volcanic Fallout
One theory regarding the fall of Minoan culture suggests that a massive volcanic eruption spawned a series of natural disasters that destroyed many Minoan towns and cities. The aftermath of this event weakened the Minoans’ economy, defenses, and spirits, and paved the way for the rise of the Mycenaeans in Crete.
In the late 16th century BCE, the volcanic island of Thera - today known as Santorini - erupted explosively. Modern geologists estimate that the eruption of Thera was at least twice as large as the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa and expelled 60 cubic kilometers of ash, molten rock, and pumice. The Minoan port city of Akrotiri on Thera was blanketed in pumice - preserving it in the same way as the Roman city of Pompeii - and a large portion of the volcano collapsed, breaking the island into three parts. Located sixty-five miles southeast of Thera, the Cretan Minoan settlements were nearly instantly susceptible to the aftermath of the explosive eruption.
According to Sinclair Hood in The Minoans, earthquakes would have rocked Crete and other Minoan islands in the months and weeks leading up to the eruption, giving the people there very little time to repair their homes. After the eruption, large tsunamis caused by the volcano’s collapse would have hit Crete’s northern coast within half an hour, decimating already damaged settlements. Northwesterly winds covered eastern Crete in a blanket of ash that may have been as much as four inches deep, choking vegetation and making cultivation impossible on that part of the island.
It is the tsunamis, however, that would have been most devastating to the Minoan culture. As seafaring peoples, they depended on the sea for trade and conquest, and many of their settlements were along the coastline, making them extremely vulnerable to tsunamis. A single medium-sized tsunami would devastate the Minoan economy and military, but a large tsunami like the one that would have been created by the collapse of Thera following the eruption could have potentially wiped out entire coastal communities, leaving less than 20 percent of the population alive.
The Minoan’s entire seafaring capacity would have been completely wiped out by a large tsunami or series of tsunamis following a volcanic eruption the size and scale of Thera. Even if some ships were to survive, many of the harbors and port towns along the prosperous north coast would be damaged beyond repair, making it nearly impossible for the Minoans to rebuild their navy and trading fleet. With its ability to trade and defend itself gone and the crop-producing capacity of Crete limited by volcanic ash, the Minoan civilization on Crete was virtually guaranteed to fail.
At a time of such widespread death and destruction, the Minoan people appealed to the gods. Hood explains:
“Apart from the damage caused by earthquakes and great waves, the noise of the eruption and the darkness lasting perhaps days on end…must have filled the people of Crete with terror and despair. Poisonous vapors causing sickness may have added to the horror. The most urgent duty in these afflictions was to appease the gods and implore their aid.”
There is archaeological evidence of cups with pumice placed in them being placed in shrines near the sites of cities and towns that were destroyed by tsunamis. Pottery similar in shape and design were discovered in votive pits, as if there were mass offerings at that site at one point in time, perhaps to ward against tsunamis in the future.
Unfortunately, the Minoan’s pleas to the gods went unanswered as the ash from the volcanic eruption entered the atmosphere and blocked the sun, creating a volcanic winter. Summer temperatures cooled and rain was frequent, ruining crops that were used to a milder Mediterranean climate. After several years of failed harvests, the Minoans grew angry and turned on the priests and kings who they felt were doing nothing to aid them in this time of crisis. When the Mycenaeans came to Crete around 1450 BCE, the remaining Minoans were too few and their leaders were too powerless to stop them from seizing power. The Mycenaeans took control easily and adapted the surviving cities and villages to their own use, beginning a new period in the history of Crete.
Theory: Greek Invasion
Another theory concerning the fall of the Minoan civilization argues that while the Minoans were indeed impacted by a volcanic eruption or another type of natural disaster, the consequences were not nearly as dire, and the culture only began to decline under the stress of warding off several waves of invasions from the Greek mainland. These invaders burned and pillaged already damaged Minoan settlements, preventing the civilization from rebuilding properly.
What follows is an artist’s interpretation of what these events may have looked like.
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