MM IIB Phaistos, Knossos, Kommos palaces destroyed
MM IB = Protopalatial (or Old Palace)
Linear A found at Phylakopi, Ayia Irini, Akrotiri
Bacchylides said one of Minos's sons founded a colony on Keos
the fact that Ayia Irini looks incredibly Minoan makes us want to see a connection there
MM IIB intensive Minoan contact with western Asian Minor & the Dodecanese
Minoan influence relatively insignificant as far north as the Troad
Trianda on Rhodes probably an actual Minoan colony

toward the end of the Middle Helladic, Minoan influence already on the southern Mainland

Messenia:
adoption of the tholos tomb inspired by the Minoan tholos of the Mesara type as well as by indigenous circular forms of tomb such as MH tumuli
Dickinson does not think tholos was derived from the Cretan circular tombs, for which we have no evidence that they were vaulted or underground, and they had attached complexes of chambers, which early tholoi do not
Peristeria has a building with mason marks on its ashlar masonry which some consider to be Linear A signs

Laconia:
lapis Lacedaemonius (green-flecked porphyry) used by Minoans
tentative short Linear A inscription at Ayios Stephanos

Argolid:
GCA&B have many items argued to be of Minoan manufacture
inlaid daggers, silver, bronze, & stone vessels, seals & signet rings
however, the scenes look more Mycenaean, so maybe resident alien Minoan craftsmen at Mycenae making items to order
tholoi not adopted until LH I or even LH IIA, 1-3 generations later than in Messenia

1750-1500 Neopalatial
1500-1375 Mycenaean dominance at Knossos
if there was a thalassocracy, one or both of those two periods are the best candidate

maybe some colonialism going on, hard to tell if the Minoans were ruling at any particular place
depictions of a fleet at Akrotiri, but may not have been permanent, just a response to pirates

everything about Minoan influence can be explained without recourse to militarism

Theran eruption
LM IB destruction horizon across Crete, ca. 1490/1470, either related or unrelated or a little related
local earthquakes & marauders?
outside invasion?
may have been short-lived destruction, or maybe up to 25-40 years of unsettled times
Cf. France during the Hundred Years' War

LM II-IIIA2 early (1490/1470-1385/1375) Mycenaeans at Knossos?
1. Mycenaean king
2. Mycenaean viceroy
3. Minoan dynast who destroyed other palaces and dominated from Knossos

Warrior Graves, art looks a lot more Mainland,
Linear B originally attributed to this period (LM IIIA2 late 15th to early 14th), but maybe actually not until mid 13th (LM IIIB) when Knossos finally destroyed
then again, maybe some groups were earlier
so DP omits them from the evidence

Warrior Graves
shaft-niche and chamber tombs
most only a single corpse, and even multiple burials no earlier than LM IB
many of the cemeteries not in earlier use than LM II
preference for weapons as burial goods not found in earlier Cretan burials
hoards of bronze vessels common in Mainland, rare in earlier Cretan burials
two-handed goblet/kylix a Mainland shape
large amounts of jewelry worn by the dead in the tombs

first appearance of amber in Crete in the Warrior graves
more militarism in the art

LH I-IIIA1, most evidence is funerary in nature
shaft graves, tholoi, and chamber tombs

1385/1375 BCE, destruction of Knossos, LM IIIA2
bronzework suffers a severe & permanent decline in the Aegean
fire destruction by human agency, since Mycenaean presence disappears
either Mycenaean prince(s), or local population fed up

LM IIIB 13th century independent kingdom of Chania, Linear B tablets

1352-1388 Amarna occupied under Akhenaten
large finds of Mycenaean pottery
almost complete absence of Minoan pottery
This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
No Subject Icon Selected
More info about formatting

Profile

polymathy

April 2025

S M T W T F S
  12345
6789101112
131415161718 19
20212223242526
27282930   

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 8th, 2025 09:53 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios