| The Age of the Palaces. The middle-Minoic
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| | Achaeans were just like the Cretans
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| era was the time of prosperity for Crete.
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| | excellent tradesmen. Their pottery was
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| Cities started to develop in the period
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| | found in Sicily, Rhodes, Cyprus, Italy,
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| between 2200 and 1450 BC, but they were
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| | Asia Minor, northern Syria and Milete. In
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| huger blocks of palaces like the Syrians
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| | some of these places their influence
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| built them, rather than conglomerations
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| | seems so strong that it is not unlikely
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| of private houses. Examples of these
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| | that they had permanent strongholds
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| palaces are Cnossus, Phaistos and Hagia
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| | there. However, they could not enter Asia
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| Triada. The palace of Cnossus was spread
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| | Minor very far as the Hittites were still
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| out over two hectares, and counted so
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| | too strong. That is the reason why their
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| many rooms that it formed the basis for
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| | colonization, if we can even speak of
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| the famous myth about the labyrinth of
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| | colonization, was very limited. Both
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| the Minotaur. It seems that Crete has
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| | nations also shared the same form of
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| been a collection of local kingdoms,
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| | government monarchy. The Cretan and
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| mostly subsidiary to the dominating
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| | Mycenaean monarchies were based on a
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| Cnossus where the profits of the ruler
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| | widespread feudal system of lords with a
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| were collected, managed and distributed.
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| | strongly centralized and bureaucratic
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| Remarkable are the huge storerooms with
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| | palace-economy.
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| the big pots from products like corn,
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| | The End of the Minoic Civilization.
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| wine and olive oil.
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| | Around 1500 Thera was hit by and
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| The Late Helladic and Minoic Periods.
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| | earthquake. The western half of the
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| Since 1700 BC the Achaeans became more
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| | island was the top of a volcano, which
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| and more influenced by Crete. Out of this
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| | exploded and completely destroyed most of
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| interaction between the Cretan and
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| | the island. The results were noticeable
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| Helladic cultures developed a Mycenaean
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| | in a large part of the Mediterranean; the
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| palace culture, which was initially
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| | whole Aegean area was hit by a huge
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| dependent on Cretan models. This new
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| | tsunami. The Cretan fleet probably was
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| culture was named after the powerful city
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| | destroyed for the biggest part. The rain
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| of Mycenae, the city of the legendary
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| | of volcanic ashes covered Crete in a grey
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| Agamemnon who was one of the leaders of
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| | layer of 10 centimeters thick, and had a
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| the expedition against Troy. Soon
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| | catastrophic effect on the crop for many
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| Mycenae, with its palace on a fortified
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| | years. Because of this, and more reasons,
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| acrois, surrounded by cyclopean walls and
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| | many believe that Crete was the legendary
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| its marvelous Gate of Lions, became the
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| | Atlantis. Fifty years later Crete was
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| dominating power in the Peloponesse. This
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| | struck by another disaster. Everywhere on
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| period is different from the middle
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| | the island, the palaces went up in
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| Helladic one, not only because a sudden
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| | flames. Only Cnossus was saved. The only
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| explosion of wealth took place, but also
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| | logical explanation for this is that the
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| because throughout Hellas palaces were
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| | Achaeans from Hellas had attacked Crete
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| built. These palaces had a more logical
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| | for unknown reasons, and settled
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| ground plan than the ones on Crete, and
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| | themselves down in Cnossus. The explosion
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| they were in fact huge fortifications
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| | of Thera had decreased the strength of
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| unlike the palaces on Crete. The most
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| | Crete so much that they did not find much
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| famous Greek palace of this period was
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| | resistance. This theory gets more
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| found at Mycenae, but other palaces were
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| | convincing as you know that Cnossus is
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| found in Pylos, Thebe, Athens and Iolkos.
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| | the only place outside Hellas where
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| Another difference with the Minoic
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| | Linear-B tablets were found. We do not
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| culture was that the Achaeans developed
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| | know for how long the Achaeans controlled
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| their own script. It was called Linear-B,
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| | Crete, but somewhere around 1400 BC
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| and was based on the Cretan Linear-A
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| | Cnossus got destroyed. The destructions
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| script, but it eventually became a script
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| | were so spread out over the island that
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| on its own. Linear-B is a
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| | it seems most likely that Crete was not
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| syllable-script, and the language was
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| | attached by a foreign force, but that a
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| Greek. The linear-B tablets which were
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| | revolt against the Mycenaean rules had
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| found do not tell us much about life in
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| | taken place. Whatever the reason might
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| the palaces as it was just like Linear-A
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| | have been, this was the end of the Minoic
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| only used for accountancy. Of course
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| | culture.
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| there were also resemblances. The
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