Moe Dickson

An arguement for Thera as the fabled Atlantis

February 20, 2006 |  0 comments
Image Credit: Thera, an island north of Crete, was a Minoan outpost as early as 2500 BCE. The Minoans of Crete were renowned sailors having been identified by Sumerian and Egyptian accounting records. Many of the stone tablets found on the island of Crete have yet to be translated because the language, known as linear A, has yet to be deciphered. Strange that we can read Egyptian and Sumerian hieroglyphs quite accurately but not the Minoan writings of Crete. While Sumeria (modern day Iraq) and Egypt each boasted remarkable civilizations in the third millennia BCE, it was the Minoans who traveled the known world sharing knowledge and trade goods with the other, more stationary peoples. They were unique in many ways beginning with the fact that they spent little if any of their wealth on military ventures. While Sumeria built defensive fortresses and Egypt constructed pyramids, the Mediterranean Minoans sailed from outpost to outpost bringing bronze tools to those without, wine to grape-less barbarians, papyrus out of Egypt and mathematics out of Sumer.

It was they who invented international commerce on a grand scale with their navy capable of leaving the sight of land. No doubt the silhouette of one of their ships on the horizon was a sign from the gods, an awe-inspiring experience to anyone who met the men who could ride the turbulent sea. Yet to the experienced merchant, a Minoan ship meant only one thing – wealth, be it gold or silver or bronze goods.

Archeology has discovered volumes of accounting records, records of commerce that far outnumber any other kinds of written history. It was economy then, just as it is today – the backbone of human existence. While stories of events and conquest may have been embellished or invented to please the reigning king, you can be sure that the trading of goods was accurately kept track of. Loans were common and interest was accrued by the wealthy lenders of those days just as it is today by VISA. And with this in mind, we may consider the viewpoint of the average ancient man who was not privy to the actions of merchants and kings. A select few might comprehend the stars and the physics behind sailing or the turning of the wheel, but to most these things were magical occurrences that only their religious leaders could adequately explain.Distortion plays the greatest part in communicating even today. What began as a tale of great people from across the water, could have easily evolved into the legend of Atlantis where Poseidon, the sea god, ruled over a luxurious island of wonder and advanced technology. The fact that Thera had plumbing and fountains would be enough to begin the rumor. Being a specialized outpost for the meeting of international merchants and kings would only enhance the story of immense wealth and unlimited capabilities.

The similar religious beliefs shared by ancient mankind across the Middle East, Europe and northern Africa can only be explained by a common thread of knowledge. Using different languages and subtle deviations, all of the oldest peoples believed in a group of gods we refer to as the pantheon. As to what this common past might be there have been numerous theories over time all of which rely on the reality of communication. And it was the sea going Minoans who would have been the communicators.

The island of Thera did explode sometime after 1500 BCE and ashes from the volcano have been found as far north as Greenland. The Minoan civilization collapsed soon after tidal waves destroyed the coastal cities of Crete and was replaced by the up and coming nations of ancient Greece – what we now call the Myceneans. The story of Troy takes place (1270 BCE ?) after the waters of the Aegean Sea are no longer dominated by a superior navy, but rather fought over by smaller, less sophisticated sailors competing for the heralded economy. Thus the legend begins – a remembered people from a forgotten time.

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