Two ancient Mediterranean civilizations were uncovered over the last 200 years. Previously, they were unknown to archaeologists but were found to have been powerful civilizations of their day. These are Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece. 

Discovered in 1899 when the city of Knossos was excavated, Minoan Crete was named for King Minos, the mythical king of Crete and son of Zeus in Greek mythology. The Minoans are thought to have been prominent around 2000 BC. Writings have been unearthed of an untranslated language that archaeologists have dubbed “Linear A” and another dialect that was also found on mainland Greece called “Linear B,” which has been somewhat translated. 

In Knossos, evidence of commerce with mainland Greece and Egypt was found. Frescoes depicting people leaping over bulls were discovered on Crete as well as Egypt, suggesting that the Minoans were more of a trading people and not warlike. Additionally, royal palaces had religious significance and housed the center of the economy. Palace officials instructed people what to produce, then it would be delivered to the palace for the officials to distribute to the people. The officials kept records, which were later found, of what entered and exited the palace.

While there’s not much evidence of a Minoan military, it wasn’t all peaceful. Piles of underage bones were unearthed, suggesting that the Minoans engaged in child sacrifice. Sometime around 1425 BC, the civilization was destroyed by either a natural disaster or invasion by the Mycenaean Greeks. 

Named for the city of Mycenae, which is located on the Peloponnesus of Greece, Mycenaean Greece is thought to have started around 1600 BC. A German archaeologist named Henrich Schliemann (1822-1890) discovered the ancient civilization. Before him, it was believed that Greek civilization had begun around 800 BC, but after reading “The Iliad,” Schliemann thought it couldn’t possibly be a work of fiction, so he set out to find the city of Troy referenced throughout the book. Eventually, he found Troy in modern-day Turkey with possible evidence of a Trojan War, which was thought to be a fictional conflict. He believed that he had uncovered the grave of Agamemnon, who was also thought to have been a mythical character. Unlike the Minoans, the Mycenaeans were a warlike people, with many military relics unearthed during Schliemann’s excavation. The Mycenaeans are considered to be the people who invaded and subsequently ended the Minoan civilization in 1425 BC. 

Due to the relentless inquiry of modern archaeologists, the massive ancient civilizations were uncovered. Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece are now known to us as two of the most profound and prominent civilizations of their time.