From Lyonesse@compuserve.com Sun Mar  8 19:20:22 1998
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 13:43:10 -0500
From: Rick Robinson 
To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com
Subject: AEGEANET Mycenaean invasion

Has anyone ever done specific studies on the supposed Mycenaean invasion of Crete? To land an army, no matter how small, on an enemy shore requires a logistical nightmare.

I cannot answer at all as to any studies on this, and there is probably not enough direct evidence for a "study" as such -- at best, we could engage in informed speculation. I'll now do just that (as best I can as an interested amateur, not a professional).

One possibility: if there *was* an invasion, it may have been on a remarkably modest material scale. If you go by Drews' suggestons about chariot warfare in The End of the Bronze Age, chariot armies were not large. Even Megiddo and Kadesh, fought between major empires, involved on the order of a couple of thousand chariots on each side. Moreover, that was "mature" chariot warfare, in which both sides possessed chariotry.

Drews seems to suggest that even a much smaller number of chariots would fight with devastating effectiveness against pre-chariot infantry armies. If so, an invasion of Crete by Mycenaean chariotry might have involved as few as a couple of hundred chariots, requiring only a few dozen ships for the initial invasion force. Once ashore, they could use their mobility to choose the time and place of battle, meanwhile living off the land.

Alternatively, perhaps there was never an invasion as such, but rather an internal coup d'etat. Suppose that, prior to the Mycenaean conquest, the "true" Minoan ruler or elite had possessed an elite mercenary guard of mainlaind chariotry -- or had brought in charioteers to quell some internal disorder. The leaders of that force might simply have siezed power in their own right, again securing it using their superiority on the battlefield.

Both possibilities are purely speculative, of course, but either one seems plausible, IMHO.

From mikeday@gorillanet.gorilla.net Sun Mar  8 19:35:27 1998
Date: Fri, 06 Mar 1998 21:24:26 -0600
From: Michael Day 
To: "aegeanet@acpub.duke.edu" 
Subject: AEGEANET Mycenean migration or invasion

I have found this discussion about Mycenaean invasion of Crete to be very interesting however I have several questions that I don't understand. Please bear with me, I'm just a "Hick from the Stix" who doesn't have any access to the journals so often mentioned here.

First off, I have great difficulty accepting the idea of a Mycenaean invasion due to the logistical effort required for such an operation. An amphibious assault is one of the most difficult military operations to perform. (I am familiar with military history and operations, so I know whereof I speak on this one)

1. If it was an invasion why were all the "palaces" burned? One could understand this if it were a raid, but if they set out to takeover the island, one would think that they would try to keep the major structures intact. And why would they re-occupy only Knossos

2. If there were a successful Mycenaean invasion why was Knossos not fortified like the other Mycenaean sites after they had taken over, would they not fear either an invasion by someone else or a popular uprising. This is what William the Conqueror did in England, for example.

One possible scenario for an invasion that would seem plausible is that if the invaders were allowed to land unopposed by a disgruntled portion of the local population. thus giving them a base of operations and local logistical support. Alternatively, the Mycenaeans may have arrived as were mercenaries to help in some type of local disturbance, and then stayed.

It might be worthwhile to approach the U.S. Naval Institute to see if studies have been done on the subject. Coming up with a Mycenaean Invasion Plan would be a challenging exercise for the Naval Academy.

One final question as to refugees from Thera. Is there any evidence at all of a large(?) scale settlement of Theran refugees?

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