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Posted: May 13th, 2008
Sinking Atlantis
More than two thousand years ago, the Greek historian Plato wrote about Atlantis, the fabled civilization that was swallowed by the sea. But the origins of Plato’s story have never been identified. It is only recently that some archaeologists have begun to believe the legend may have started on Crete. They are hoping that scientific investigation can provide an actual link to Plato’s ancient folk memory.
The island of Santorini, 70 miles north of Crete, was home to the wealthy Minoan seaport of Akrotiri, a place where the wall paintings discovered portray their landscape with happy animals and farmers harvesting saffron. But the Minoans had built their prosperous city on one of the most dangerous islands on earth, next to the volcano Thera. Around 1600, B.C., Akrotiri was shaken by a violent earthquake. Some time later, an eruption occurred. The Theran eruption was one of largest in human history — blasting more than 10 million tons of ash, gas, and rock 25 miles into the atmosphere. Incredibly, despite Crete’s close proximity to the volcano, the debris from Thera largely missed the major Minoan towns. On Crete, strange and chaotic layers of soil, broken pottery, building materials, and even cattle bones can be found along the eroding coastline near the ancient town of Palaikastro. With the help of soil scientist Hendrik Bruins, archaeologist Sandy McGillivray discovers that the soil also contains micro-organisms that are normally found only on the ocean floor. The only way they could have been deposited on land is by a powerful tsunami. The presence of Theran pumice that could only have been washed ashore on Crete by powerful waves seems to indicate that the volcano caused the tsunami, and carbon dating of a cow bone found in the chaotic layer of sediment confirms that it was deposited there around 1600 B.C., the same time that Thera erupted.
At long last, the story of the Minoan disappearance has been unearthed. Five thousand years after it hit, an epic natural disaster can be blamed for their collapse. A wave that washed away an empire is strikingly reminiscent of a mystical city that sank beneath the waves. And though we may never know for sure if Crete was Atlantis, we at least have an explanation for the downfall of Europe’s first great civilization. |
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Five thousand years ago, the Minoans, Europe’s first great civilization, flourished on the island of Crete. The sophisticated inhabitants, named after the legendary King Minos, were the first Europeans to use a written language, known as Linear A, and the first to construct paved roads. They were an advanced society of highly-cultivated artisans and extremely skilled civic engineers. The Minoans were excellent ship builders and sailors, and their maritime empire was so vast, it rivaled that of the ancient Egyptians. They were an enigmatic people, worshiping snake priestesses and engaging in human sacrifice with origins not linked to Europe as expected, but to ancient Iran, which may explain why they were so different from the Greeks who rose to power after them. Such practices gave rise to Greek myths about the Minotaur, a half-man half-bull that ate human flesh in his forbidding labyrinth. But inexplicably, at the height of their power, the Minoans were wiped from the pages of history. The reason for their disappearance has perplexed historians for generations — until now.
Archaeologists are only now beginning to understand what happened in the decades that followed. One of the most remarkable clues is a small statue that was found in Palaikastro. It was discovered in an archaeological layer deposited a hundred years after the disaster. A statue made of ivory tusks, gold with a serpentinite head, a prime example of one of the great masterpieces of Minoan art, which has been vandalized, suggests ritualized violence against the Minoan culture. Additional signs of such deliberate destruction have been found in other places on the island. Archaeologist Maria Vlasaki believes the answer lies in an unusual cemetery in Chanea. The bodies have been dated to the period of widespread unrest in the Minoan world. Similar bodies have been found near Knossos as well. Their weapons were not Minoan—they resembled those used by the ancient Peloponnese Greeks. The invaders from the Greek mainland slashed and burned their way across Crete, overwhelming the weakened Minoans. The tsunami not only left the Minoans ripe for an attack, it gave the Greeks an important military advantage.
Congratulation on a FABULOUs, thorough and fascinating documentary.
Keep showing it! We want more!
Awesome, I’ve been fascinated with the Minoanions for years, and now at long last something new — we’ve all known about thera for decades. I will wait for the show (tonight on my PBS station) with bated, yet clean, breath. Kurt
Fascinating! I have been studying that period in considerable depth, creating a special parallel timeline. However, the date and scope of the eruption/tsunami is something that was not imagined/considered in previous literature, dating was fragmented and historical events resulting from this massive event were not tied together. Because of 2004, I could already see it, but no one had yet formally presented anything that I could find. I am pleased to see this show and wish you would tell me how to get in touch with the archeologists and present to them what I have put together so far. I would like their opinion on how this modifies the general understanding of the cause & effect and timing of events in that region and period, which could help me make further progress.
The theory that the Minoan civilization was the fabled Atlantis has been around for at least 40 years. It is good to see that “mainstream” archeology is seemingly now catching up so that the general public can now share in the knowledge.
I believe that the theory went thus: that the person who translated the story of Atlantis from the original Egyptian made a mistake in math and all the translated calculations were off by a factor of 10, so that (for example) instead of a continent 5000 miles long, many miles away (enough to place it in the Atlantic Ocean) with a population of millions, the actual stats would have been 500 miles long, several miles away (still in the Mediterranean) with a population of thousands, and instead of it happening 10,000 years before, it would have happened 1000 years before, all of which, taken in total, describes the calamity of the Minoan Civilization, as the author was transcribing in or about 500bc. And the suppression of the Minoans allowed the Peloponnesian Greeks to come to the forefront, some five centuries before the Dorian Greeks invaded, with the resultant ‘dark age.’
Excellent episode. Thank You.
Very interesting program! I don’t know if the archaeologists have researched this or not, but the time frame they give for this destruction, and the details they give, coincide exactly with the events given in the Bible for the world-wide flood that occurred. The Bible gives all the details in Genesis 6-9. Particularly note 7:11, where it says that “all the fountains of the great deep burst forth”, which would undoubtedly cause great waves of water that would destroy everything it their paths. Many more details and evidence can be found at the Answers in Genesis website.
I was really impressed with this show. As a lover of Minoan Crete, it was both informing and fascinating. I was up all night thinking about it! By far the best Secrets of the Dead so far!
I missed it!!!! My own fault. I knew it was going to be on. I just got busy. …and my VCR’s timer no longer works. Please tell me you have a repeat planned in the future. I want to know more about the Minoans.
I would like to have the DVD in the PAL/SECAM version for
use in Greece.Is it available or can I have it converted it was really an excellent show.
Yiannis
an excellent program
Its nice when pieces of a puzzle fall into place and you begin to see the larger picture. I have always wondered what could have brought about the demise of the Minoans. I think that it goes a long way towards understanding and putting into context the legend of Atlantis too. It was so far removed from what I would have imagined transpired I was left wanting far more detail. Great program.
Without that catastrophe, we might have walked on the moon 2000 years earlier.
A friend recently told me of this program as I’ve just returned from a week in Crete. This is now the prevailing theory for the demise of the Minoan civilization. I first read of it from the great archaeologist, Dr. Marija Gimbua, in her book The Living Goddesses. I’m glad to see it finally hit mainstream.
very very interesting. helps me a lot with school work!
haha:]] ur websites aswome
read the other comments thy are obiously american due to the different way of dating. Patrick, [ 03/12/08, British way] [12/03/08, American way] of stating third of december two-thousand and eight, funny world if you dident know.
Could someone explain the controversy regarding the date of the downfall of Crete. Recent Met. Museum exhibition concerning Mediterranean trade in the region suggests that the Eruption on Thera had nothing to do with the down fall of Crete. There is a discrepency in dates. Who is the latest word on this issue if there is any?
you can’t touch dat homes das called da history biotch
i am in class right now and this is boring
sup brittany gust lika circus
cool, my class read this
hi maddy hee hee we are reading this
sweet maddy is my classmate and my buddy;)
banana is not your name, silly! VVV
what a marvelous peice of work. i must say even the great al wallace says so i mean…… just breathtaking
yes thoroughly enjoyable read……..
i love bliss n eso cant wait for bass in the grass
Where can I find and view the relative height model for the tunami of 1600BCE that wiped out the Minoan PORTS and destroyed their civilization? I am interested in how the wave acted, its relative height, all details of the model, as it raises a few questions as to what I saw, and where, when I was on Crete
The Etruscans somewhat resemble the Minoans. Has anyone studied possible connections?
As a major sea power — like the British — might the Minoans have also been a colonizer? Perhaps this might explain the suggested degree of hostility by later Greek invaders.
Awesome
The best writing ever