The Truth About Warfare in the Minoan Civilization

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The samurai used to compose poems about the falling of a snow flake or a cherry blossom petal... Didn't make them peaceful... :)

I never believed that minoans were bronze age peaceniks but I always appreciated their fashion sense.

Nice video! I'm from Crete and live less than a mile away from Knossos. I always thought that the "peaceful Minoans" myth was an exageration because they were being compared to the Myceneans. If anyone of you wants to come visit Crete for its ancient past or its wanderful landscape you are always welcome! 😁

People who fall asleep to your videos probably do so because your narration is very consistent in tone and cadence. You sound relaxed, so when repeated consistently it relaxes others.

It seems so super obvious to me that the reason the Minoans were able to have such a rich and luxurious culture was a result of them having military dominance over their immediate surroundings, perhaps even the wider region

Archeologists and Historians really liked interpreting ancient cultures as peaceful utopias, didn't they? The Mayans, the Cucuteni, the Minoans. You'd think they'd assume that the violence we see and read about throughout all of human history would just be a universal constant.

I am torn between the time you spend educating us on civilizations of the past and wanting you to continue writing further novels in your Gods of Bronze and Vampire immortal Knight series. Your talent is being spread so far. I love it.

If you think about it, the British Empire was ferociously militaristic — and so commercial that Napoleon called the Brits “a nation of shopkeepers” — yet the subject of much of Georgian, Victorian and Edwarian art was women.  Domestic decoration in many parts of the world has traditionally been done by women: it often has a protective or invocational aspect to it. Maybe these idyllic, paradisiacal scenes were to help “make it so” in real life. I wonder if women were painting their idealised version of life around them (and proud portraits of their growing boys). Also — if a fair proportion of the men were sailors, they would be away for months at a time trading / pirating. Travel around the Med was very seasonal with direction according to current and the prevailing winds at different times of year. Women in fishing and seafaring communities do tend to organise/manage village and estate life themselves — the farming year, goods manufacture and often the retail &/or warehousing end of commerce.  Places with a lot of the mature males absent are bound to be seen as an opportunity for the sailor-pirates from other places. Another reason for training boys up early.

It could be fair to say the culture didn’t seek conflict, but weren’t going to be overcome by it either. I love the idea of a “navy” guarding the coast leaving the inland areas for societal and commerce centers. If I was in charge of Crete in the Bronze Age, I would have set it up that way. The island as a port was necessary for all the surrounding cultures. Focusing on a defensive military would be best. No need to steel land for resources, because the trade had to stop there with their cargos anyway, making an offensive military an unnecessary risk.

To say that the Minoans didn't conduct war because there were no scenes of war in their castles is like saying the US does not because there are no scenes of war in many of the homes of rich Americans.

Oh gawd - next thing, someone is going to translate the Harappan texts and discover those inscriptions were all blood-curdling threats and curses! Great video!

Not only does this man take notice of his subscribers despite his channel's size, he picks up on a pattern and helps to guide us on what we may need, kudos to you man! On a note with the topic at hand, given how good humans are good at slapping eachother with various objects when disagreements arise, I have always been skeptical of such a successful civilization being "peaceful"...plus the Myceneans probably didn't just show up on Crete and conquer it "just because", they probably accumulated reasons from the Minoans yeeting sling rocks at them.

"Exquisite" is the word indeed. Enchanting also. If I could go back in time, that's where I'd be headed

"Malice in Wonderland" is an amazing name for that paper. Great video as always!

I don't fall asleep to your videos, but I do admit to enjoying listening to you. I really enjoy your well-founded, deeply researched videos. Listening to a guy who actually knows what he's talking about is very pleasant. It's the same feeling I get when I read your books.

Arthur Evans was an Edwardian. The Edwardians believed in Herbert Spencer, who differentiated between "militaristic" and "commercial" civilizations, with Britain as the epitome of a commercial society in contradistnction to the warlike and militaristic society of Germany. He basically projected his own world-vview on the past he dug - and falsified his finds in his publications.

I see a Dan Davis video drop, I watch. Don't always comment :) But I need to remember to say thanks - so thanks man, great work as always.

This is the best channel in all of YouTube.

I'm one of those that fine your videos not only informative but relaxing as well. I have used your videos for something pleasant to listen to as I drift off at night.