DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9804#0223
DORPFELD AND THE ACH.EANS 197
Dr. Dorpfeld believes 1 that they came early, and
that we can think of the inhabitants of the mainland
during the whole Minoan period as of a Northern
" Acluean " stock, with a native geometric style of art.
This art he thinks survived uninfluenced in certain
places, such as Olympia, but in others was modified by
the intrusive oriental art of Crete. Tiryns and Mycenae
were the centre of an Achaean people who had assimilated
this oriental Cretan culture. The Pelasgians of Attica
were not, as we have been accustomed to think, its
original inhabitants, but an invading population, pre-
sumably from the East and akin to the "Carian Cretans." s
We have, in fact, the old theory that " Mycenaean "
civilisation was foreign, and imposed from without,
cropping up under a new form ; the only difference is
that Crete has gone over to the foreign side.
There is no need to follow Dr. Dorpfeld in his further
theory that Crete itself was finally invaded and conquered
by the Cretanised Achaeans.' In view of Dr. Mackenzie's
article 1 this part of Dr. Dorpfeld's theory will doubtless
be modified. Its total recantation would not affect the
theory as a whole.
The difficulties, however, that are essentially involved
in it are serious. It is difficult not to admit, with the
anthropologists, that, racially, the iEgean as a whole,
mainland as well as islands, originally belonged, and
to a large extent still belongs, to the dark Mediterranean
race. Valuable as have been the contributions in lan-
guage, and perhaps in character, of the various intrusive
elements, the fact remains that they are intrusive, and
have never succeeded in changing the old type. The
similarity of pre-Hellenic place names in the islands
and on both sides of the /Egean confirms the evidence
of racial type. If we once admit that it is improbable
1 Alh. Mill. xxxi. 1906, pp. 205-18.
2 Ibid. p. 218. 3 Ibid. xxx. 1905, pp. 291-2.
1 See pp. 78-81.
Dr. Dorpfeld believes 1 that they came early, and
that we can think of the inhabitants of the mainland
during the whole Minoan period as of a Northern
" Acluean " stock, with a native geometric style of art.
This art he thinks survived uninfluenced in certain
places, such as Olympia, but in others was modified by
the intrusive oriental art of Crete. Tiryns and Mycenae
were the centre of an Achaean people who had assimilated
this oriental Cretan culture. The Pelasgians of Attica
were not, as we have been accustomed to think, its
original inhabitants, but an invading population, pre-
sumably from the East and akin to the "Carian Cretans." s
We have, in fact, the old theory that " Mycenaean "
civilisation was foreign, and imposed from without,
cropping up under a new form ; the only difference is
that Crete has gone over to the foreign side.
There is no need to follow Dr. Dorpfeld in his further
theory that Crete itself was finally invaded and conquered
by the Cretanised Achaeans.' In view of Dr. Mackenzie's
article 1 this part of Dr. Dorpfeld's theory will doubtless
be modified. Its total recantation would not affect the
theory as a whole.
The difficulties, however, that are essentially involved
in it are serious. It is difficult not to admit, with the
anthropologists, that, racially, the iEgean as a whole,
mainland as well as islands, originally belonged, and
to a large extent still belongs, to the dark Mediterranean
race. Valuable as have been the contributions in lan-
guage, and perhaps in character, of the various intrusive
elements, the fact remains that they are intrusive, and
have never succeeded in changing the old type. The
similarity of pre-Hellenic place names in the islands
and on both sides of the /Egean confirms the evidence
of racial type. If we once admit that it is improbable
1 Alh. Mill. xxxi. 1906, pp. 205-18.
2 Ibid. p. 218. 3 Ibid. xxx. 1905, pp. 291-2.
1 See pp. 78-81.