Re: Cattle DNA supports Anatolian origin for Etruscans

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 09:46:11 +0000, Doug Weller
<dweller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


What strikes me, is not what they found in Minoan remains, but what
they did *NOT*. What ancient culture that you know had kings, which
didnt leave the names of those kings plastered all over the place? It
aint like the Minoans were not literate.

Funny you don't mention that Minoan texts are also few and far between and
we aren't even sure about translations. Most of the texts we have are
economic records, which doesn't help a lot. We don't even know what they
called themselves, so why should you assume we'd know the names of their
rulers?

We know very little about them. We know that goddess worship was extremely
important to them. We know that they were a mercantile culture. We know
palaces were important. We know that they didn't fortify them, and that is
one of the main reasons why people often assume a lack of armed conflict
in Minoan culture, but Shang China and the Mayans lacked fortified centres
but still engaged in warfare. Their swords were the finest of their time
in the area. There are what may be guardhouses on eastern Crete. Their
longboats may have been built for war. And their contemporaries certainly
practiced warfare.
We simply don't know enough to be sure.

I think to some degree he does have a point though. Minoans were
surely aware of the Egyptians, the Hittites and the Levantine city
states all of which were writing cultures. Writing brought very high
social esteem, and I think we can sure the Minoans noticed that on
their visits to the eastern Med. So why didn't the rulers of whichever
nature in Knossos etc. use writing much more than they did?

At the very least I think his question is not a stupid one.

Hayabusa
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Cattle DNA supports Anatolian origin for Etruscans
    ... aint like the Minoans were not literate. ... We know that they were a mercantile culture. ... states all of which were writing cultures. ... some god who didn't get duly honored by name if they used names. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Cattle DNA supports Anatolian origin for Etruscans
    ... aint like the Minoans were not literate. ... We know that they were a mercantile culture. ... states all of which were writing cultures. ... Not sure how these people felt but in some societies true names are not ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Cattle DNA supports Anatolian origin for Etruscans
    ... aint like the Minoans were not literate. ... We know that they were a mercantile culture. ... states all of which were writing cultures. ... So why didn't the rulers of whichever ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Cattle DNA supports Anatolian origin for Etruscans
    ... aint like the Minoans were not literate. ... We know that they were a mercantile culture. ... states all of which were writing cultures. ... So why didn't the rulers of whichever ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Cattle DNA supports Anatolian origin for Etruscans
    ... aint like the Minoans were not literate. ... We know that they were a mercantile culture. ... states all of which were writing cultures. ... They weren't writing on the wall, carving in baked clay, or carving ...
    (sci.archaeology)
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