Minoan Women: Matriarchy in Minoan Crete?

The Minoan civilization is famed for its rich architecture, art and economic wealth they achieved throughout the Bronze Age. What differed the Minoan from the other contemporary cultures of their day, is the highly prominent position and status of women in their society, who dominated many aspects of life on Crete.
In this episode, we talk about the esteemed role and and position of the Minoan women, as well as the possibility of matriarchy in the Bronze Age society of Crete.
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#MinoanCivilization #MycenaeanGreece #BronzeAge #MinoanHistory

[@buttercxpdraws8101]

I can’t wait for the day we are able to decipher Linear A 🙏🙏🙏

[@vegetables1593]

That day may never come. Linear B was only deciphered because people were able to realie it was an early form of Greek, but we have no idea what language the Minoans spoke.

[@Articulate_the_Unknown]

anything matriarchal is forbidden and considered evil by the patriarchal society

[@BenJuan123]

There have actually been some pretty remarkable breakthroughs in translating Linear A in the last few years. Peter Revesz has made strides by comparing it to Ugric languages. You can check out the study here: www.wseas.org/multimedia/journals/information/2017/a605909-068.pdf At the end he translates a number of Linear A inscriptions, and there are a lot of references to a “chief queen” and a Mother Goddess. Really fascinating stuff

[@37Dionysos]

There are not enough examples of Linear A to do so. It will only be "accounting" anyway, maybe a ritual text or two.

[@GXoXdIsNotaMANtimeUtoWakeUp]

Albino u not deciphering my ancestors language good luck 😊

[@firefly198]

Very interesting; especially hearing how a woman marrying a slave could elevate his position but not the other way round! I think it's very probable that this society was matriarchal. Great video, thanks very much.

[@37Dionysos]

There is no evidence whatsoever that Minoan society included slaves.

[@Rithymna]

It is interesting that the traditions of later times have king Minos being betrayed by his wife, daughter and eventually women killed him.

[@TheCharlos69]

This was part of a larger worldwide effort to discredit women, kill the mother goddess, and install violent patriarchal systems in previously matrifocal cultures. The Minoans held out for longer than most other civilizations.

[@aidanbrady9377]

I wonder if there is some relation to the “old Europeans” that Marija Gimbutas described. Given the matriarchal structure and aversion to war.

[@WanaxTV]

It’s hard to say considering that the language remains undeciphered. But they likely had at least trade relations with a number of paleo-European peoples.

[@oskareriksson2202]

The Minoans were merchants. Merchants don't like war. (Also the Carthaginian senate, composed mostly by merchants and heavily influenced by merchants guilds, If could avoid a war and resolve all diplomatically or with money it was better. War mean loose of money. For that the Senate never helped Hannibal as the Roman Senate unconditional support to his generals. Hannibals in later years understood he could never received the support roman generals had, since the interests of these senators in trade was in jeopardy. Indeed it was them who accused him later in front of the Romans, forcing him to flee. The Minoans as merchants with s fleet if could avoid war it was better for their state of mind. If they was forced by piracy even or other events they did some expedition to the coves to annihilate a threat to their trades but they i guess didn't like the idea of large scale war. War mean stop to commerce, commerce raided, a huge loss of money to these peoples who often have trade relation with the potential enemies. The Minoans sure was too old Europeans, they was pre Indo-Europeans, the first civilization of Europe. (But blood feuds, homicides, and tribal feuds did happen also among old European. Look the case of otzi the hunter probably killed in an ambush. They was ever a neolithic people, they wasn't conquerors like we indoeuropean peoples or the Islamic peoples but they wasn't hippy and peace lovers as some new age current state (look the Ariadne s tribe, modern Minoan paganism, in their forums and Facebook page they often state against the archeologists because they built their own idea of the Minoan past. Old Europeans good peace lovers matriarchy. Indo Europeans evil patriarchy. That's ridiculous. Old Europeans was just like us , probably a little bit more quiet, they wasn't conquerors of Empires but wars did occur also among them sometime.). In this way the theories of the gjmbutas (I'm not saying she's wrong, instead some of her theories are correct, but not totally) was instrumental in the 60 and 70 to the new age movement to depict a golden age with peoples living the land without do war, governed by women. It wasn't so.. they was just like us. The dead bodies recovered everywhere in neolithic villages in Italy, and elsewhere should make us understand violence was part of the life of these peoples.

[@supermavro6072]

Minoans are from Afrika. Not Europe

[@FS-iu8xi]

@@oskareriksson2202 the Golden Age was written about extensively by the ancient Greeks, and it was a time of no war, and no killing, neither among humans or within nature

[@FS-iu8xi]

@@supermavro6072 ridiculous cope. Minoans were European and their paintings and geographical location show this clearly. No black Africans have built anything like the Minoans

[@37Dionysos]

Thank you! I suggest an updated term to replace the loaded "matriarchy," and that is MATRICULTURE---a body of knowledge, traditions, practices and values centered around the relationships among women (called the "damos" 1000 years before Athens' fake democracy) and their relationships to Nature and the sources of all life (see works of Max Dashu for ex.). The old dismissive term for this was "fertility cult" as if it carried only sexual obsession and no meanings or values---think instead of "a culture built around creating optimum conditions for many happy healthy children." And there indeed we have the opposite of "patriarchy," humanity's biggest step backwards. This was changed "for" us and thus we can change it again back in favor of a human family.

[@herculianthegreat]

This is one interesting and charming aspects of their civilisation i cant imagine minoans without mitriarchy

[@tatyanatavares4168]

Thank you for the video. Visiting Knossos Palace was very educational and fascinating.

[@vitovitale8325]

I like how talked up how the women where running the show in Minoan society, cool, I didn't know that & I call myself a fan of history... but my friend one very big thing You forgot to give the girls CREDIT for (& I caught this one a long time ago, drew me to "liking the Minoans" in the first place) the women walked about society with their breasts fully exposed & then come to find out that this was a female dominated society on top of that !!! what is not to Love ? If Icould've been born back in those times :Thanx be To God, for heavenly bodies !!!

[@Facelessbuster]

Amen to that!

[@oltyret]

It is likely they regarded breasts to be a maternal organ and not a sexual organ and exposed them to honor a mother goddess. They kept their loins well covered up unless they were bull leaping athletes.

[@thomasdaywalt7735]

wow id never thought possible for a martricarchy society that ancient

[@mdstanton1813]

Ive read that the prince of the lilies was perhaps not a human at all but a bull that has been augmented during the restoration/recreation of the fresco Nice video ❤✌

[@Demane69]

Matriarchy? Unlikely. A heavily caste society due to the nature of being seafaring, heavily religious and spread out creating specialized roles? Yes. Remember that the ruling class was a tiny percentage of the overall population, and not all women would be afforded such luxury.

[@viciouslady1340]

The men were fierce warriors too

[@DaveTielung]

I am here because of The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow

[@raympnt]

Fascinating and well done video. Do more on the Minoans and if you can on the Etruscans.

[@WanaxTV]

Thank you, really appreciate it! More videos on the Minoans are coming for sure. I'd love to do the Etruscans as well, it's certainly among the plans for the future.

[@ajithsidhu7183]

@@WanaxTV please do my mycenean war fare

[@ajithsidhu7183]

@@WanaxTV and greco indian Punjab

[@WanaxTV]

@@ajithsidhu7183 Mycenaean Warfare is in the plans. It just depends on the schedule but it's coming!

[@ajithsidhu7183]

@@WanaxTV thanks please do greco indian Punjab as well please

[@Steven-dt5nu]

I enjoy your videos. I do like these breakdowns on various societies

[@nemanja4231]

Nice video, keep it up. 👍🏻

[@WanaxTV]

Thank you brother, appreciate it!

[@moorishsociety7339]

Nubian kandake, kushite matriarchy.

[@kaarlimakela3413]

Their hegemony of peaceful trade relied on the technology of their superior ships. At some point, the Greeks, Phoenician and others joined in the one-up-man-ship. 😏

[@GXoXdIsNotaMANtimeUtoWakeUp]

🖤

[@carolynncoppingerwilliams1520]

Beautifully done!

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

Their bag

[@mercianthane2503]

Ah, yes, never forget the SIMPNOANS

[@galidorn1]

in Minoan matriarchy women played the exact same role as they did in the rest of the world as priestess and head of households.. so exactly the same roles as they played in what we call patriarchal societies priestesses and heads of households...

[@harrietharlow9929]

And on Crete they may have held real political power. Imagine that! Patriarchal society with its constant preoccupation with war is not healthy for anyone. And in most patriarchal societies men are considered the head of the household. Keeping house is not necessarily indicative of women being considered head of the household. And in the West the restoration of women to the priesthood is a recent event.

[@ender7278]

Why do you emphasize the end of every sentence like that? It's rather disorienting.

[@supermavro6072]

Berber cuIture is fascinating.

[@dyak0]

Sorry, folks, but we know almost nothing about the Minoans. Anyway, one anthropologist said that matriarchy was never a thing in pre-historic society (and he produced proof of that). In historic societies that we know well, it never was a thing either. And matrilineal descent systems can be perfectly used in patriarchal societies. One thing we know that the women were treated better in pastoralist societies than in agricultural. One exception in the Ancient period were Etruria (also Greek polis Argos - but that is a special story). Etruscan women had a very high status, much to amazement of Greeks and Romans. Given a hypothesis that Etruscans originated in Asia Minor that makes me suspect that their ancestors were pastoralists there (it is all economy). As for Cretan women, I can only make a parallel with Vikings. Since Vikings were roaming around in their ships, they had to leave their households to their women and to elevate them a bit. Could it be the same with Minoans, since they had to sail a lot too?

[@jeffreykalb9752]

That is why it collapsed.

[@cosmicpdgmailcom]

Very informative for me because I'm making a feature film with a short scene set there.