Secrets of Aegean Cultures of Mycenae and Minoa and Hellenic Culture
by The world’s history conceals various secrets and mysteries. But it is not a secret that human civilizations and cultures influenced each other and, in general, very often they had something in common. Traditionally, when we speak about European culture we associate its origin with ancient Rome and Hellenic civilizations. Then, are they a primary source of European culture? I believe no. There are a lot of research of Hellenic civilization and ancient Greece, in general, which show that it had two precursors, namely, Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations.
Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations civilizations were geographical neighbors and in many respects they were closely related to each other. In historical science they even have a common name Aegean civilization. Mycenae occupied the mainland while Minoa was situated in Crete. Initially, the former was less developed than the latter but they couldn’t live in complete isolation. Though, being separated by the sea, they developed contacts which were not always positive phenomena because they were two strong countries that struggled for the dominance in their region. Finally, this struggle resulted in the invasion of Minoa by Mycenaean (about 1400 B.C). This invasion was also a result of a natural disaster, to be exact, an earthquake. Anyway, it permitted both Minoa and Mycenae to develop closer relations and promote mutual enrichment of both cultures. Certainly, they differ from each other but as time passed this difference had been weaker and weaker. For example, Mycenaean cities, unlike Minoan, were surrounded by walls and fortified. Palaces in Mycenae were built around halls in Minoa they were built around an open space. Their languages were closely related to each other as well as their written languages known as Linear A and B. By the way, a written source in Linear B in Crete serves as an evidence of Mycenaean presence on this territory. Thus, these civilizations were very close culturally to each other. Moreover, they even had the same future: they were invaded by Dorians (about 1200 B.C.) whose civilization became a basis for the future Hellenic world.
Naturally, Hellens/Greeks couldn’t ignore such a great cultural heritage that was left after Aegean civilizations of Mycenae and Minoa which could be traced in different fields: in architecture, painting, literature. For example the famous Greek black-figure painting technique were borrowed from the experience of Mycenaean and Minoan potters. Also scientists state that some episodes from Greek mythology were also borrowed from these civilizations as well as works of Homer are now treated as a wonderful samples describing the life of people of Aegean civilization which were almost in decline in 1200. In all probability, his “Iliad” and “Odyssey” describe, practically, the last stages of Greek invasion of Aegean civilizations. Finally, we shouldn’t forget about the language which naturally borrowed some elements of languages of invaded civilizations and the same we may say about religious beliefs.
Thus, it is evident that in the process of development of Hellenic culture we observe how different civilizations influenced and cooperated with each other in cultural aspect and also we see that, gradually, there were mutual enrichment of cultures beginning from Mycenae-Minoan relations and later it was continued in the Hellenic epoch.
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