WAR WAS CENTRAL TO EUROPE’S FIRST CIVILISATION – CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF–by HeritageDaily in Archaeology News

To read the complete article, please go to:http://www.heritagedaily.com/2013/01/war-was-central-to-europes-first-civilisation-contrary-to-popular-belief/

Children boxing from a fresco

Children boxing in a fresco on the island of Santorini. : Wiki Commons

RESEARCH FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD HAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ANCIENT CIVILISATION OF CRETE, KNOWN AS MINOAN, HAD STRONG MARTIAL TRADITIONS, CONTRADICTING THE COMMONLY HELD VIEW OF MINOANS AS A PEACE-LOVING PEOPLE.

Building on recent developments in the study of warfare in prehistoric societies, Molloy’s research reveals that war was in fact a defining characteristic of the Minoan society, and that warrior identity was one of the dominant expressions of male identity.
Molloy continued: “The study shows that the activities of warriors included such diverse things as public displays of bull-leaping, boxing contests, wrestling, hunting, sparring and duelling. Ideologies of war are shown to have permeated religion, art, industry politics and trade, and the social practices surrounding martial traditions were demonstrably a structural part of how this society evolved and how they saw themselves.” Even the famous Mycenaeans, heroes of the Greek Trojan War, took up the Minoan way of war – adopting its weaponry, practices and ideologies. “In fact,” said Molloy, “it is to Crete we must look for the origin of those weapons that were to dominate Europe until the Middle Ages, namely swords, metal battle-axes, shields, spears and probably armour also.” Molloy found a “staggering” amount of violence in the symbolic grammar and material remains from prehistoric Crete. Weapons and warrior culture were materialised variously in sanctuaries, graves, domestic units and hoards. It could also be found in portable media intended for use during social interactions, for example, administration, feasting, or personal adornment. “There were few spheres of interaction in Crete that did not have a martial component, right down to the symbols used in their written scripts.” said Dr Molloy. “Understanding the social aspects of war ‘beyond the battle’ is essential if we are to better understand how elites manipulated economics, religion and violence in controlling their worlds. By identifying the material results of warrior lifeways in all of their disparity and disorder, we gain insights into what war meant in ancient Crete.”

Bookmark the permalink.