Minoan Crete

The Minoans: The Ancestors of Modern Cretans

/ Rei Arkangelakis / 10 Comments

Through the use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis of dental remains, Greek and American researchers have made strides in pinpointing the connection between modern Cretans and the “Cretans” of long ago. While this was discovered in 2013, I only just came across this information. Two years prior to that fated day, when I was in Crete walking around Knossos, I half-jokingly asked my aunt if we can be related to the Minoans. “Όχι βέβαια,” (of course not) she replied with a chuckle. But as far as I knew, my maternal side was Cretan: my mom, my grandma, my great-grandma, my great-great grandma… you get the point. So, the idea was not too far-fetched, especially now with a scientific backing.

a photo of a reimagined Minoan performance by Minoan Theater
a photo of a reimagined Minoan performance by Minoan Theater

Mitochondria and Maternal Ancestry

Mitochondria are the energetic powerhouses of cells, which are comprised of their own genetic code (DNA). mtDNA in particular is passed down from mothers, not fathers, virtually unchanged to their kids. So, by utilizing this type of analysis, researchers are able to reveal information about maternal ancestry with great accuracy.

The Minoans are Europeans and are also related to present-day Cretans – on the maternal side.

-Dr. Stamatoyannopoulos, University of Washington Professor of Medicine & Genome Sciences
A Minoan skull - Image from Open Edition Journals
A Minoan skull – Image from Open Edition Journals

Understanding Our Past: The Ancient Cretan and Modern Cretan/European Connection

The findings point to Minoans being the descendants of the first people to reach Crete nine millennia ago. In fact, they have an uncanny genetic similarity to the Europeans of today.

Dr. Stamatoyannopoulos, one of the authors of “A European population in Minoan Bronze Age Crete” (www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2871) expands on this:

There was an extensive migration of Neolithic humans from the regions of Anatolia that today comprise parts of Turkey and the Middle East. At the same time, the first Neolithic inhabitants reached Crete. Our mitochondrial DNA analysis shows that the Minoan’s strongest genetic relationships are with these Neolithic humans, as well as with ancient and modern Europeans. These results suggest the Minoan civilization arose 5,000 years ago in Crete from an ancestral Neolithic population that had arrived in the region about 4,000 years earlier. Our data suggests that the Neolithic population that gave rise to the Minoans also migrated into Europe and gave rise to modern European peoples.

Lasithi Plateau, Crete, Greece location - Screenshot from Goog
Lasithi Plateau, Crete, Greece location – Screenshot from Google Maps

The Specifics

So, we know the research team deciphered DNA of ancient teeth, but there’s definitely more to it. Along with his research team, Dr. Stamatoyannopoulos conducted sample analyses from 37 different skeletons that were found in a Cretan cave in the Lassithi plateau. They then compared those with mtDNA sequences from 135 modern and ancient populations alike.

The Minoan samples had 21 distinct mitochondrial DNA variations. Six were Minoan-specific whereas 15 were shared with modern and ancient people. None of the Minoans had mitochondrial DNA variations of African populations, so this debunks the once-popular belief that Minoans had completely African origins. However, upon further analysis, the Minoans were still related to Egyptian and Libyan populations, albeit remotely so. The largest percentage of shared mtDNA variations was with European populations.

From low to high (when it comes to shared Minoan mitochondrial DNA variations): North Africa, the Middle East, Mediterranean islands, Southern Europe, mainland Europe, and the Neolithic populations from Southern Europe, especially Crete. To get even more geographically specific: the current Cretans of the Lassithi plateau (Eastern Crete). That really was the most fascinating finding as I read through the research paper and several articles: ancient Minoan maternal mtDNA is still very much present in current residents of the Lassithi plateau!

Arthur Evans’ speculations of the Minoans actually being ancient Egyptian refugees (having non-European origins in general) were clearly just that. The Minoans were, as some say, a “locally-sourced” group of people.

Lasithi Plateau, Crete, Greece view - Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Haloorange
Lasithi Plateau, Crete, Greece view – Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Haloorange

Sources

BBC: DNA Reveals Origin of Greece’s Ancient Minoan Culture
A European Population in Minoan Bronze Age Crete

Honoring My Cretan Ancestors with a Minoan-Inspired Ritual

/ Rei Arkangelakis / 18 Comments

For my 33rd birthday, I decided to honor my Cretan ancestors by conducting a Minoan-inspired ritual. I place emphasis on the word inspired because we don’t know the full scope of Minoan religion, but we are aware of quite a bit from frescoes, statues, and other archeological findings. Therefore, I integrated a mix of my research, Cretan traditions, and intuition. Speaking of ancestry, here’s a post about a mtDNA study that connects modern day Cretans to the Minoans, especially from the maternal line.

Offerings

Based off residue found in various storage vessels throughout Knossos and other palaces, we more or less know what the Minoans ate. So, with that in mind, I filled a bowl with kalamata olives from Crete (you’d be surprised how easy it is to find Greek olives, even if you don’t live in Greece – ask me for recommendations) and another container with Greek honey, which is a known offering to deities in both the Minoan and Hellenic religion.

“Minoan” Music

We can only more or less guess what their music was like, but there are plenty of artists who have created Minoan-inspired tracks with some Ancient Greek flair, so I had that playing in the background during the ritual. Here is one of the songs:

Altar Setup

I then set up an altar, mindfully placing a statuette of The Snake Goddess (or Priestess) I bought from Knossos at the center on a square block of quartz with a statuette of The Lily Prince (or Priest-King, or perhaps even deity) alongside her. I also included a candle infused with anise and extra virgin olive oil sourced from Greece as well as incense. Additionally, I carved The Snake Goddesses’ name into the candle: Atano Djuwaja. I ended up walking slowly towards the altar with a ceramic bowl of my offerings to place by her. I included a few photos below so you can see the whole thing:

Ritual Clothing

While I wouldn’t say my outfit is a replica of what is seen on frescoes, I tried my best to find clothing that captured the essence of Minoan fashion. I also used my minimal sewing skills to add some details to the jacket’s sleeves. My apron is a lot less elaborate, but I made do. The style of Minoan women was known for its decorative jewelry, so I wore gold and silver dangling earrings (including snake cuff earrings), gold bangle bracelets, gold rings, and a brass labrys Snake Goddess necklace. I also was generous on the eye-liner to mirror the Minoan (and Ancient Egyptian) cat-eye look.

Me in a Minoan-inspired outfit

Minoan Tarot Card Reading

From what we know, the Minoans didn’t use “tarot cards” or anything similar, but my Cretan grandmother passed down a similar card-reading tradition to me. Also, I came across a beautiful Minoan tarot deck by the talented and equally knowledgeable Ellen Lorenzi-Prince (here is my review of the deck) that I just had to buy as a birthday present for myself. The card I pulled was extremely fitting:

Dress provides an opportunity for a person to show on the outside a small part of who they are on the inside.
Demonstration of belonging is necessary for the connection of the individual to the group they depend upon.
Display is not superficial when meaningful.

-Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

I think this is a good spot to end my post. Thanks for reading! This ritual of mine was deeply meaningful and emotional, and I’m honored to share it with all of you.

*All the images that are not my own (i.e. olives, anise) are from Pixabay.

Minoan Civilization: Egalitarian or Matriarchal?

/ Rei Arkangelakis / 1 Comment

The Land of Kings and Goddesses

The patriarchy has been rooted in our reality for what seems to be eons, but the Minoan’s way of experiencing the world was not through such a lens. Their royalty may have consisted of kings, but the religious side of things consisted predominately of goddesses and priestesses. Men ran multiple facets of their society, but so did women. And when men were typically off at sea, women more or less took over in several arenas, including politics. Women and men alike also partook in various sports, including bull-leaping.

Minoan Priestess with Snakes, Archaeological Museum in Herakleion. Photo by Wolfgang Sauber.

Gender Equality with Matriarchal Leanings

For a long time, archaeologists and historians have suspected a full-fledged Minoan matriarchy, especially due to the the prevalence of women in leadership roles. However, it seems more accurate to call this civilization egalitarian with matriarchal tendencies. It’s also important to note that their iconography contains no distinct depictions of kings. In fact, King Minos’ reign could very well be solely mythical….

Painting on limestone sarcophagus of religious rituals from Hagia Triada. Source: Wikimedia Commons User ArchaiOptix

Distinct Gender Roles with Some Gray Areas

Egalitarian but not perfectly so, Minoan society was still distinctly gendered as seen in illustrations, fashion, and certain societal duties. For instance, in family documentation written in Linear B, spouses and children weren’t listed altogether. In one section, it was solely fathers and their sons, whereas in another section, mothers were listed with only their daughters. That being said, there was an evident gender divide.

At the same time, on the Agia Triadha sarcophagus (shown above), there is a priest AND priestesses making offerings. Just like in Ancient Egypt, the Minoans color-coded their genders (lighter skin for women, darker skin for men). So, that person with darker skin playing the lyre (who has often been mistaken for a woman) is in fact a man. It is posited that priests wore women’s vestments during rituals to honor the goddess.

Conclusion

The verdict is there’s no set-in-stone answer and as with most things, it’s not so black and white. But one thing is for sure: Minoan society was not patriarchal. Also, while I did discuss usually clear gender roles and women in leadership, the matriarchal nature of the society doesn’t make it such via the domination by women alone; it has to do with its connection to nature and emphasis on creation (in a creative sense, not just a maternal one), among other things.

And I’ll wrap up this post with a quote by a Classics Professor at The University of Kansas:

“Basically, this culture on Crete around 1600-1500 BCE is the closest candidate for a matriarchy that we have.”

-John Younger

Sources

National Library of Medicine: The Woman in Minoic Crete
New World Encyclopedia: Aegean Civilizations
Kansas University: Religious Artifacts Support Idea of Minoan Matriarchy on Ancient Crete
*Featured Photo Credit: Agia Triada sarcophagus (long side) from Wikimedia Commons User Zde