Exploring Ancient Mysteries: Minoan Civilization

Minoan Civilization
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Minoan Civilization
The Crete Island is found in the central part of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Crete experiences dry, warm summers and short, mild winters. The lands were very productive with adequate food supply, which was enough to support an affluent local population as well as exports. The decentralized culture is concentrated on the lavishness extraction of natural resources as well as commercial activities. In ancient times, timber was one of the natural resources, exported from the ancient Crete, even though it is deforested today. Crete was also known for exporting olive oil, cloths, herbs, and wool. In return, they received silver, gold, and ivory as imports (Ancient-Greek.org, 2002). Other than raw materials, Crete acquired cultures inventive ideas and skills from the surroundings. Having developed substantial naval power, the Minoans survived external forces for having lived in contact with the main civilizations of the time. The contact between Mesopotamia and Egypt influenced Crete’s culture, and the Minoan civilization is deemed to be the portent of the Greek civilization. Minoan civilization is the oldest in Europe and the most powerful on earth, having lived about 5000 years. It was the first civilization in Europe. Minoans used written language (Ancient-Greek.org, 2002).
At the peak of their evolution, Minoans vanished without any precise explanation. Professor Marinatos associated the demolition of the Minoan civilization with the tsunami and the explosion of the Santorini volcano that occurred in the Aegean Sea. Other archaeologists suggested that the Minoan civilization was not only destroyed by an eruption of the volcano and the tsunami, but completely disappeared after an attack by the Mycenaean civilization, a powerful and ancient Greek civilization (Rubin, 2011).
In 1939, professor Marinatos discovered that an eruption of the volcano of mount Thera was the main cause of the ruin that led to the demise of the Minoan civilization. It is an event that was traditionally associated with the fall of the Minoans after an eruption of Mount Thera. Being the largest volcanic eruption in the universe’s history, scientists’ discovered that the eruption had destroyed Minoans settlements of Akrotiri on the Santorini. It was believed that there were no human bodies found at Akrotiri, indicating that settlements were demolished or bodies were buried deep in the earth after the eruption occurred (Ancient-Greek.org, 2002). This theory argues that the earthquakes were responsible for destroying the palaces, with the tsunami obliterating the fleet and nobles of the Minoans. According to the theory, Minoans civilization on the Crete was destroyed by the immense earthquake and huge quantities of ash that fell off the island from the eruption of the volcano. The theory argues that the volcano covered the entire island, destroying crops and suffocating all the anima...