DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.7519#0306
A SURVEY OF THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION 271
Naturally the sea played a large part in Minoan life. Fishing The Sea
must have been the occupation of most of the coast towns. But
from the earliest times Crete had been in contact with overseas
powers, and her domination of the East Mediterranean has
come down to us in the tradition of Minos the Thalassocrat.
Now it seems clear that it was the Minoans who did the trading,
and it must certainly have been in their interests to keep the
high seas free of pirates. Indeed, we no doubt have an echo
of the downfall of Crete in one of the Amarna Letters.1 Here
we find that Amenhotep III has to increase the coastal police
owing to the sudden increase of piracy on the part of the
Lukki (Lycians ?) and others. Curiously enough, we have no
scenes of a sea-battle, though possibly the wild-looking archer
on the fragment of an L.M.i rhyton (PI. XXXVII, 4) may
have been part of a scene in which a pirates' nest was smoked
out.
A few models of boats have been found, but our chief source
of information comes from the seal stones.2 The prow is
always high and frequently ends in a forked prong, but in
many cases there is a raised after-castle in the stern. Both
sails and oars were used. The steering seems to have begun
with a fixed rudder like a spur projecting from the stern, but
by M.M.II, no doubt under Egyptian influence, two steering
oars are substituted. In two L.M.n seal impressions a deck-
house, or at least a shelter for the rowers, is shown.3 Heavily
built-up cogs as well as lighter galleys were used. Of their
methods of navigation we know nothing, but it is probable that
a good deal of their lore was handed down to be incorporated
in later itineraries, for Skylax and the Stadiasmus are both
particularly well informed about Crete.
On the whole the Minoans seem to have been a peaceful folk. Minoan
In contrast to the Mainland, scenes of combat are rare. Body Arms
armour until L.M.n 4 was unknown, but the great figure-of-
eight shield (fjvre nvgyog) protected the warrior from the
neck to the feet, while a helmet, perhaps covered with boars'
tusks, covered his head.5 For this defensive armour the
tinkler, 128.
2 Marinatos, B.C.H., 1933, 170 ff. A careful study of all the
evidence.
3 P. of M., II, 244.
4 Ibid., IV, 803. Corselets appear on tablets from the Armoury
(L.M.n), but are never shown in scenes of combat. Is this another
Mainland feature of L.M.n ?
6 Ibid., 868. Archaeologia, LXXXIII, 212.
Naturally the sea played a large part in Minoan life. Fishing The Sea
must have been the occupation of most of the coast towns. But
from the earliest times Crete had been in contact with overseas
powers, and her domination of the East Mediterranean has
come down to us in the tradition of Minos the Thalassocrat.
Now it seems clear that it was the Minoans who did the trading,
and it must certainly have been in their interests to keep the
high seas free of pirates. Indeed, we no doubt have an echo
of the downfall of Crete in one of the Amarna Letters.1 Here
we find that Amenhotep III has to increase the coastal police
owing to the sudden increase of piracy on the part of the
Lukki (Lycians ?) and others. Curiously enough, we have no
scenes of a sea-battle, though possibly the wild-looking archer
on the fragment of an L.M.i rhyton (PI. XXXVII, 4) may
have been part of a scene in which a pirates' nest was smoked
out.
A few models of boats have been found, but our chief source
of information comes from the seal stones.2 The prow is
always high and frequently ends in a forked prong, but in
many cases there is a raised after-castle in the stern. Both
sails and oars were used. The steering seems to have begun
with a fixed rudder like a spur projecting from the stern, but
by M.M.II, no doubt under Egyptian influence, two steering
oars are substituted. In two L.M.n seal impressions a deck-
house, or at least a shelter for the rowers, is shown.3 Heavily
built-up cogs as well as lighter galleys were used. Of their
methods of navigation we know nothing, but it is probable that
a good deal of their lore was handed down to be incorporated
in later itineraries, for Skylax and the Stadiasmus are both
particularly well informed about Crete.
On the whole the Minoans seem to have been a peaceful folk. Minoan
In contrast to the Mainland, scenes of combat are rare. Body Arms
armour until L.M.n 4 was unknown, but the great figure-of-
eight shield (fjvre nvgyog) protected the warrior from the
neck to the feet, while a helmet, perhaps covered with boars'
tusks, covered his head.5 For this defensive armour the
tinkler, 128.
2 Marinatos, B.C.H., 1933, 170 ff. A careful study of all the
evidence.
3 P. of M., II, 244.
4 Ibid., IV, 803. Corselets appear on tablets from the Armoury
(L.M.n), but are never shown in scenes of combat. Is this another
Mainland feature of L.M.n ?
6 Ibid., 868. Archaeologia, LXXXIII, 212.