Who_Ruled_Crete

Who ruled Crete' In looking at the social structure of Crete we need to observe that, although the legends talk about a King Minos, we do not have anything in the archaeological or pictorial record which relates to this person. So how much should legendary tales be trusted' At the very least, they should only be considered very cautiously, but there are some archaeological clues that are worthwhile investigating. While the fresco record reveals that small groups of women were evidently more important than groups of men, no individual stands out. On the Hagia Triada Chieftain's Cup, and on the Harvesters' Vase, however, we do have examples of one individual in each of these vessels as being more distinguished than his fellows. The difference is shown by the difference in clothing. The difference is very slight, and it is insufficient to draw conclusions about the social structure from such pieces, but it does suggest that the society had leaders for different activities. It seems unlikely, though, that either of these men on the two vessels shown could be considered a king. Although the Greek legends speak of King Minos, the evidence from the frescoes and seal rings does not depict a man as a ruler. Indeed, the major figures we see in these scenes are female. Because of this, scholars consider that the Minoans worshipped a female god, since all of these scenes do seem to be religious in nature. On a few of the rings, however, there sometimes appears a slender male figure, always smaller than the females. Scholars think this male represents a consort for the chief goddess. Most recently, one seal impression, known as the Master Impression, has been found, showing a male standing on a representation of a palace. Is he a king' Or is he a god' Scholars have not as yet made up their minds. When Evans discovered the Throne Room at Knossos, he based his ideas on the rulers of the Middle East at that time, and wrote that Minos must have been a priest king. Other scholars, influenced by Evans, have tended to think in this way too. The evidence, however, does not indicate the presence of such a person, and a large number of scholars now think that the Throne Room at Knossos was a religious cult room, not a political centre for the palace. It is certainly in the midst of other cult rooms, and not especially distinguished along that western facade of the Central Court. Thirdly, there is very little space within the Throne Room to have allowed a large crowd of people to gather there. Professor Oliver Pelon felt that the Hall of the Double Axes was a more appropriate place for a king, and there were the remains of a throne there. A number of scholars have questioned the idea that there was a male ruler in Crete, some of them preferring to see a woman as the chief figurehead. Sinclair Hood thought that the Queen of Crete, acting in her role of a priestess, was the person who actually sat on the throne. Professor Wolfgang Helck has pointed out that, in one of the Theban tombs of Egypt, the Keftiu are said to have a ruler, and he, therefore, thinks there was a king of Crete. With so many different opinions being held by the world's experts it is only safe to say that no-one knows whether or not there was a male ruler of Crete in Minoan times. When we look at the Throne Room in the palace at Knossos we think we see evidence for a Minoan ruler. This is not so, for that Throne Room does not seem to have been a Minoan room at all: it was built and decorated by the Mycenaeans who came into Crete when the palaces collapsed. The Mycenaeans, of course, did have kings, and they did have thrones. Their throne rooms were the most important part of their palaces, and were dominated by a large circular hearth, or fireplace. Although there are very grand rooms in all of the palaces of Crete no Minoan central room can be pin-pointed, neither is there anything like a throne room in any other palace. The central focus of a Minoan palace is its Central Court, not any particular room, and we have good reasons for believing that the courts were used for religious ceremonies, which crowds of people attended, to judge from the Grandstand Fresco. Thus, although the Linear B texts and the archaeology reveal the presence of a Mycenaean king, unfortunately, we cannot yet read the Linear A texts of the Minoans, and the archaeology has not yet revealed the presence of a single Cretan ruler. Unlike Mycenaean society, therefore, we cannot at present assume that there was a king of Crete. As to who may have ruled ancient Crete, scholars at a recent meeting have decided that no-one can tell but, due to the large size of women in the palace frescoes, they thought that a female-dominated society was more likely in Minoan times!