Author | Cold Research Author Team - Ai Yang
Word count: 4191, Reading time: about 15 minutes
Editor's note: The Cold Weapons Research Institute previously introduced the Minoan civilization in 3000 BC and the army and armament of this civilization in the article "World Military Martial Arts Atlas Minoan Civilization: 1 Helmet Kills 40 Wild Boars, Martial Arts Secrets Carved Amber". This article continues to introduce the mysterious legend of this powerful civilization on the island of Crete, which has a labyrinth and a minotaur.
archer
Unlike the archers in Egyptian art, who often bowed to the full moon and flocked to them, the Minoans usually showed that archers were ready to go, sporadically. This may indicate that Minoan archers were not used in large groups, but accompanied by other branches of the army, providing close fire support. They generally use a single wooden bow, compound bows must also be used, trade with the Near East, it is easy to introduce this technology, but when the compound bow became popular in the era, the Minoan civilization has perished... Although the bow and arrow were far less important in the Aegean world than swords and spears, it seems that the "Cretan archers" were popular mercenaries in the ancient world.
Senior Commander or Prince
On the "Report Cup", opposite the swordsman there is a noble person, probably a high-ranking commander or even a prince, with a slender figure, long hair and waist, wearing gorgeous ornaments, and a dagger around the waist. The right hand carries a long pole, due to the height of the cup, there is no indication of what the head of the pole is, this weapon is at least how tall a person is, so long is not like a scepter or something, it may be a special spear, because similar images often appear in Minoan art works, but due to damage or composition restrictions, there is no image of the head of the weapon, so it can only be speculated.
a stone thrower
In the ancient world, it was very common to have a bullet thrown by a catapult that seemed to be less powerful than a bow and arrow, but in fact it was not, and in some cases it was better than a bow and arrow, such as some scales and helmets that could block the penetration of the bow and arrow, and did not necessarily block the impact of the catapult projectile. Like some hard and brittle stone projectiles, they also burst when they hit hard surfaces, creating a "grenade" effect. I had never understood why David could knock Goliath unconscious just by throwing stones, but when I saw these "malicious" projectiles, I understood... Early catapults were made of animal hair such as wool. Catapults generally carry an ammunition bag. Heavy munitions affect the "ammunition load".
axe
Speaking of axes, we have to mention the double-edged axe, which is another feature of the Minoan civilization, a sacred worship symbol, sacrificial tools, and gorgeous, huge or tiny double-edged axes have been unearthed throughout Crete, including gold and silver, bronze, stone, and even lead, but these exaggerated axes are obviously not weapons. The real combat weapon shape is concise and practical.
▲ The Minoans seem to have mastered the technique of casing mounting axe handles very early on, and they are also good at using rivets for reinforcement.
▲ This gorgeous bronze double-edged axe comes from Zakros, in order to highlight the decorative effect, two more blades have been added on the outside, perhaps called "four-edged axe", with a length of nearly 50 centimeters.
▲ This is the double-edged axe with the boar tooth helmet engraved on the axe mentioned earlier. The shape is concise and is obviously a combat weapon.
This beautifully shaped double-edged axe was found in the Cave of Al Carlocorri. It dates back to about 2000 BC.
▲ The two axes above, the left side is dated to about the 17th century BC, the shape is very simple, there is no decoration, it is possible that it is a tool axe. On the right is a single-edged axe with an interesting shape, the long tail does not know what it is used for, and there are symbols of the 8-figure shield on both sides, which indicates that it may be a battle axe. It dates back to the end of the Minoan civilization in the 15th century BC.
This very interesting stone axe was found in Maria and dates from about 1650-1600 BC. He was carved in the shape of a leopard and had intricate patterns, and it was also introduced that it was the handle of a scepter, which I thought was more like an axe anyway. I really admire the Minoans for carving this six-armed spiral pattern on the stone, and I draw circles on the paper...
boxing
Boxing seems to be a sport loved by the Minoans, represented in murals and some utensils, and even juvenile boxing... The boxer's helmet has cheek and neck pads, and the overall design has a very modern steel helmet feeling, which does not rule out the possibility that there will be a bronze version for war.
Jumping bulls
Bull jumping is a unique activity of the Minoans, and it is reminiscent of the bull worship on the island of Crete. This may be a performance at the time of the sacrifice, and it is said that the bull is slaughtered and sacrificed after the performance. It's definitely a test of skill and courage, and with such agility, are swordsmen still worried about not being able to get close to heavy infantry ~ jumping bull seems to be the most popular sport, although it is very dangerous. Not only jumping cattle, but also possibly jumping swords. A seal from Maria has such a motif on it.
The legend of the Minotaur
Legend has it that on the island of Crete, a terrible monster with a cow's head is locked up in a huge labyrinth and sacrificed by the living. King Minoans demanded that the Athenians pay tribute to seven pairs of young men and women every nine years to sacrifice to the Minotaur. The Athenian prince Theseus volunteered to join the third "Labyrinth Tour" and killed the Minoan Princess Ariadne with the help of the Minoan princess Ariadne. In this short legend, there are many elements that may be a reflection of real history. First of all, the production of the Minotaur may be related to the bull worship of the Minoans, their bull jumping activities, their bull sacrifices, and various works of art, so the image of the bull head is likely to be a sacrifice or king wearing a bull's head mask. Secondly, the huge labyrinth, there is a saying that the labyrinth is the huge palace complex of Knossos, because there are many complex corridors and rooms, much like a labyrinth. Another view is that labyrinths are some of the caves on the island of Crete that perform ritual activities, some of which are very deep and complex in structure, such as a quarry cave called "Labyrinth" near Golding, whose mining may have begun in the early Minoan civilization. There are also caves with rich excavations of sacrifices, such as the famous Cave of Al carlocory, where hundreds of bronze axes, 25 gold and 7 silver, as well as bronze swords, some of which are amazingly long. Researchers believe that such a rich offering suggests that the cave may have been a center of worship for the god of war from around 2500 BC until the end of the Minoan civilization, as most of the sacrifices were weapons. There are also caves where the remains of slain humans, of all ages, are said to have been found, suggesting that there may have been a living sacrifice. In this way, the picture is complete - in the depths of a labyrinth of intricate and dark underground caves, a man with a minotaur mask holding a double-edged axe performs a ritual sacrifice... Minotaur! Then there is the tribute of Athens, which at the height of the Minoan civilization (around the seventeenth century BC) was the hegemon of the Aegean world, and even had the maritime hegemony of the entire eastern Mediterranean. Powerful enough to place a city-state like Athens in a tributary position. (Of course, Athens at that time was not as strong as it was more than a thousand years later...) However, over time, and with an unprecedented natural catastrophe, the Minoans rapidly declined, and thus came the end of the legend, the Minotaur was killed by the heroes of Athens, which may symbolize the destruction of the Minoan civilization - conquered by the Mycenaeans from the Greek continent. The Minotaur is remembered as tall and wielding a huge double-edged battle axe. This is probably the inspiration for the minotaur image in many games.
In the palace of Knossos there is a huge collection of double-edged axes, which were mounted on a stepped pyramid-shaped base. This is reminiscent of the Minotaur's weapon...
Thread balls and swords given by the princess
A seal from the 15th century BC features the image of a bull's head, holding a round-headed scepter in his hand. It seemed to me like a human with a minotaur mask.
A map of Goldin's "labyrinth" drawn in 1812
The internal pathway is several kilometers long, with a series of intertwined passages, interspersed with widened rooms, known as the "altar room", and it seems that there are many culresses. One can imagine the size of this cave, which was used as an ammunition depot by the Nazi Germans during World War II...
Minoan ships
The Minoan civilization was born on the island and was destined to face the sea. The first boats were canoes, but later the canoes became larger and larger, and the large timber dried up. Around 2100 BC, the Minoans began to learn to build ships out of wooden planks, which greatly reduced the need for wood size, and ships could be built much larger. Still in the murals of Akrotiri on the island of Thira depict the entire Minoan fleet, although the ships are only large and small, and they appear to have different purposes, but the shape and preparation are similar, indicating that this type of ship is the main force of the Minoan fleet. Large boats generally reach more than 20 meters in length and 4-5 meters in width. It can carry more than 40 people, including at least 30 oarsmen. There is a mast and a rectangular sail. The bow and stern are higher and there is no angle of impact. Minos was a merchant empire that exported manufactured goods and raw materials such as gold, ivory and alabaster from Egypt, copper and tin from Cyprus and even Spain, and perhaps timber from Syria and mainland Greece. But piracy was widespread in the Aegean and caused heavy damage to the merchant fleet. Securing trade routes has become a top priority.
Sea power
Thucydides told us that King Minoan was the first to form a navy, that he controlled most of the Aegean Sea, that he occupied the Cyclades, that he established the first colonies in most of them, and that he "went all out to fight piracy" to secure his income. In the fresco we see some passengers on the large ship in addition to the oarsmen ... The front-facing paddle action of the large oarsmen initially puzzled me, and this posture is certainly not as efficient as the backward-facing oars. At first, I thought it was not the reason for the painting style, but it turned out that on the same mural, the oarsman of a small boat was paddling backwards. The Minoans liked to represent animals in their artworks, most of which were marine-themed, and their dolphins and octopuses came to life. The Minoans were particularly fond of drawing octopuses on pottery. This lovely clay pot dates back to the seventeenth century BC. The stone anchor found in the Aegean Sea, this cargo looks like something made by the Minoans.
If you guessed correctly, these passengers are actually warriors, helmets hanging on the beams overhead, there must be weapons hidden under their feet, and once there is a need for combat, they can immediately "transform"! Minoan ships had no angle of impact, and should be maneuverable and flexible to approach enemy ships, using the height of the bow to attack enemy crews with weapons such as bows and arrows, javelins, and spears. Strong sea power was a guarantee of trade and also the walls of Crete. This may be why Minoan cities do not need defense facilities, and there is also the idea that on the rugged and mountainous island of Crete, the Minoans adopted a regional defensive strategy that took advantage of the terrain, that is, guarding passes and communication arteries, so that war took place outside the city.
The destruction of the Minoan civilization
According to the latest research, around 1600 BC, there was a volcanic eruption on the island of Thira, more than a hundred kilometers north of Crete, which is said to be one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions ever recorded by mankind. The island of Thira was blown up, and the minoan port of Akrotiri, which flourished in the south of the island, was buried in volcanic ash. This may have triggered a tsunami of more than 10 meters, sweeping across the northern coast of Crete, destroying ports and ships and eroding the land. After the sea recedes, the wind blows volcanic ash that covers the whole of central and eastern Crete, obscuring the sun, and the falling ash may be as thick as 20-30 centimeters, at least making farmland uncultivated for several years... Trade and agriculture were hit hard, which paralyzed Minoans' economy and began to decline.
However, natural disasters were not the only reason for the decline of the Minoans, there is a legend that the Minoan king once went to Sicily to ask for Daedalus, but was killed by the local king and the fleet was destroyed. Then there was the invasion of the Mycenaeans from mainland Greece. In short, the destruction of a powerful civilization must be caused by many reasons, and perhaps we can string these possibilities together: under the blow of sudden natural disasters, minoan economy fell into crisis, in a long and painful recession and struggle, they tried to emigrate outward, but they failed, and at this time the former "students", the militaristic Mycenaeans, had risen and took the opportunity to invade and conquer Crete, so the Minoan civilization fell...
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