Thread by @hermahai

1/ In 1450 BC Knossos, the most important center of Minoan Crete, comes under Mycenaean control, and the fate of the entire island changes. But what was the nature of the Mycenaean occupation until the final destruction of the palace of Knossos in 1350 BC?
#Knossos #Mycenaeans

2/ First of all, it seems that the Mycenaean elite of Knossos controlled the breeding of 110,000 sheep (mainly rams) in the area of central and western Crete with the aim of producing fine quality wool. 👉

👉 Through this large quantity of wool they were produced numerous textiles, including exquisite colorful garments, most of which were exported to the markets of Near East and Egypt.

3/ The Linear B' tablets mention the presence of special textile mills, where mainly female workers or young trainees were employed, using a vertical warp-weighted loom. Most of the people employed in the textile industry were serfs and slaves.

4/The specific tablets related to sheep breeding,wool and textile production and the recording of textile workers demonstrate a centralized, hierarchical and strongly bureaucratic Mycenaean Crete,where everything is recorded at the level of community, province and palatial center

5/ The Late Bronze Age societies seem to have had a great need for textiles, and the Mycenaean elite of Knossos met this increased demand through the intensification of productive resources and working on a specialized craftmade knowledge.

6/ At the same time, however, the large number of sheep also provided large quantities of meat and dairy products, contributing to the nutritional diversification of the local diet and dealing with periods of malnutrition when the arable lands provided poor crops.

7/ Nevertheless, the early Knossos tablets record large quantities of stored agricultural products. The tablet KN F(2) 852 records over 960 thousand liters of wheat coming from the Mesara plain, 👉

👉 while the tablet KN Gm 840 records the disbursement of 14,342 liters of wine destined to be made available at a religious celebration with the presence of a large number of people. On the other hand, it is certain that wine was a key export product of Crete.

8/ The most important element, however, is the extensive production of weapons from the Mycenaean Knossos workshops located in the Little Palace/Unexplored Mansion near the palace. 👉

👉 It seems that they were produced various types of superior quality swords and the best spearheads in the Aegean region. At least 110 tablets of this period from Knossos refer to records of various types of weaponry (corselets, spears, arrowheads, daggers).

9/ It seems that the Mycenaean Knossos was the main center of production and supply of weapons in the Helladic world, taking advantage of the great Minoan tradition, especially in the manufacture of magnificent swords. 👉

👉 It is noteworthy that the Knossos tablets record a significant number of men associated with a military context, some of whom may be at or from places abroad.

10/ Another element is that the Mycenaean palace of Knossos produced and had at its disposal a large number of chariots. The tablet KN Sf[2] 4420 lists 80 chariot wheels and tablets found in the Room of the Chariot Tablets list about 200-250 chariots, 👉

👉 as well as charioteers equipped with two sets of body armor and a pair of horses. The number of Indo-European names on these tablets amounts to 70-90% suggesting a robust Mycenaean military elite of charioteers.

11/ The evidence shows that the new Helladic rulers of Crete gained control over what was left of the maritime capabilities of the previous Minoan maritime-commercial activity, possibly including Miletus. The naval and port facilities continued to operate at Poros - Katsambas 👉

👉near Knossos and at Kommos on the south coast,while several facilities began to be abandoned after the Mycenaean conquest, leaving behind the glorious Minoan past. The Mycenaeans made extensive use of Minoan sailors and shipwrights and several of them were sent to the mainland.

12/ The Mycenaean occupation of Knossos does not seem to have been an easy task for the Mycenaean lords, as it shows a wave of disasters caused in 1390 BC, and it reveals either Mycenaean civil strife, or a revolt of the local Minoan population, or a combination of both.

13/ After the final destruction of Knossos (1350 BC) the elite of Mycenae seems to gain complete control of the Helladic world and the trade relations with the rich countries of the Orient. Crete's trade relations with Egypt, the Near East and Cyprus are limited.