Karphi (Karfi): Minoan Site that survived Bronze Age Collapse

In the 12th century BCE the world of the Bronze Age had violently collapsed and with it the Mycenaean Greece. Great cities such as Mycenae, Pylos, Thebes and Iolkos were all destroyed and the region entered the period of the Dark Ages. On Crete the former Minoan palaces which were now administrated by the Mycenaeans were struck with a similar fate. However, the Ethiocretans, descendants of the once great and flourishing Minoan civilization, had other plans than to be wiped out. They instead withdrew high up in the mountains, where their holdouts were able to withstand the onslaught of the Bronze Age collapse. One of those was a peak sanctuary site of Carthi. The Minoan civilization of Crete was arguably the most advanced of its time. By the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE the Minoans had built their palace centers across the island and enjoyed unmatched prosperity and wealth for the next 500 years. The Minoan language was recorded on the Linear A script, which is to this day unfortunately undeciphered, depriving us of the knowledge of many key elements of their flourishing culture. However, we are still able to observe their achievements in architecture and art, as well as their trade network which had spread in all directions across the Mediterranean and influenced many civilizations of the day. When it comes to religion, the absence of the deciphered records unfortunately limits our knowledge, but it is still evident that the Minoans were highly religious and engaged in many religious rituals and practices, both inside and outside their palaces. A trait that was unique to the Minoans in this aspect was the existence of peak sanctuaries, the religious sites which were built high up on the mountain tops and shoulders across Crete. Among these were sites such as Tilesos, Petsopas, Brysinas, Troastalos and perhaps most famously Carthi. Carthi was built during the 19th century BCE on a rocky terrain high up in the Dicti Mountains. The original name of the site is unknown, with Carthi being the local toponym meaning the nail and referring to the knob of limestone that marks the peak of the site. The exact religious practices that occurred there are still a mystery. Material evidence shows a great number of clay figures and figurines of both humans and animals, a pattern that characterizes virtually all of the Minoan peak sanctuaries. Over time, regular activities throughout the peak sanctuaries were reduced, perhaps due to increased urbanization of the Minoan settlements and possibly a more centralized religious authority that continued to flourish across the palacinas. Minoan civilization continued to be the dominant force in the Aegean until about 1450 BCE. During the 15th century, the Mycenaeans of the Greek mainland arrived to Crete and conquered the island, thus becoming the new masters of the Aegean Sea. The once great Minoans were reduced to secondary citizens, with the Achaean ruling class being established at Knossos. The Mycenaeans, however, did absorb many traits of the Minoan culture and blended it into their own. The Linear A writing system was thus replaced with the Mycenaean Linear B, which was heavily based on its Minoan predecessor. The Minoans continued to live relatively peacefully under the Mycenaean rule, likely still constituting majority of the population, and gradually adapted to the new system of government. As time passed and new generations of Mycenaean Cretans were born, the former Minoan population became known as the Aetio-Cretans, meaning the true Cretans. Such system continued to be in effect until the 12th century BCE, when the Mycenaean civilization itself fell under the weight of the wider Bronze Age collapse. Widespread destruction took place across the eastern Mediterranean, attributed by the scholars to a vague group of states, tribes, pirates and mercenaries, collectively known as the Mycenaean Sea Peoples. As the palace centers across Greece were destroyed, similar fate did not bypass Crete, where the Mycenaean authority was put to an end, and the island itself left vulnerable to further migrations of warlike groups, such as the Dorians. In Homer's Odyssey, which describes the aftermath of the Trojan War, Odysseus mentions Crete and various groups inhabiting the island. There is a land called Crete in the midst of the wine-dark sea, a beautiful and fertile land. In it are many people, innumerable, and there are ninety cities. There are Achaeans, there are great-hearted Aetio-Cretans, there are Cydonis, and Dorians in their three clans, and noble Pelasgians. Many of these groups, however, were not to survive the turbulent period that followed. The Cydonis disappeared from history. Instead, by the time Greek Dark Ages ended, Cydonia emerged as a city populated by the Dorian-speaking inhabitants, called the Cydonians. Pelasgians similarly ceased to exist on Crete. A reference was made by the Egyptian and biblical sources about the Peleset, or Philistines, a tribe that supposedly came from Crete and settled in southern Canaan. Achaeans mostly fled to places such as Cyprus, which was being settled by the Mycenaean colonists. Those that had stayed eventually blended with the culture of the Dorian migrants. The Aetio-Cretans were, however, determined to avoid such destiny and resorted to their last shed of hope, their peak-sanctuaries. The sanctuaries were largely abandoned by this time, but provided a good location for the Cretans to withdraw to. Carthi was an especially remote place, located more than a kilometer above sea level, on a rocky and very inaccessible terrain. Being a sacred site, it was not actually built for settlement, and as such, the living conditions were far from being countable. Nevertheless, the Aetio-Cretans did not have a choice, and proceeded to build a fortified town at the site of Carthi. Settlement was expanded across the mountain shoulder, with house complexes in the Minoan and Mycenaean style being constructed. Megaron was serving as the decision-making place and residence of the chieftains. The sanctuary itself was re-established in a temple or a shrine, which was built in honor of the Cretan goddess, by this time possibly well in the process of blending into goddess Hera. From this position, the inhabitants had a good view of the sea of Crete, as well as the valley of Pediada and the plateau of Lassithi. It is unknown whether or not the invaders attempted an attack on Carthi, but if they did it was certainly unsuccessful. The Dorian settlers would now gradually rise in their city-states and become the main force on the island by the end of the Dark Ages. However, it is likely that they did not attempt to destroy or subdue the remaining Aetio-Cretans, especially those living in remote, mountainous settlements. Any attempts to conquer Carthi would require extensive manpower, military logistics and resources, none of which were likely available to the newly forming Dorian colonies of the time. Not to mention that all of that was to be met with little or no reward. There were no resources to be obtained from Carthi, and possession of the site offered no great strategic importance due to its isolation. The Aetio-Cretans thus found a way to be left alone during the aftermath of the Bronze Age collapse. This, however, came with a great expense to their lifestyle, which was full of hardship and not plentiful with the resources. During the 11th century BCE, the situation gradually started to stabilize as Dorians started establishing their city-states, often with the help of the already existing population. These developments created favorable conditions for the Aetio-Cretans to finally start leaving their remote mountainous sites for the better suited settlements, and often even coexist with the Dorian population. Such was the case with the city of Dreros, which, although developing as a significant Dorian polis, harbored a sizable population of the Aetio-Cretans. Many of the native Cretans, however, inhabited the eastern part of the island, where the city of Prysos reportedly emerged as their chief settlement. By the 10th century BCE, the site of Carthi was gradually abandoned, in favor of the developing cities which saw the Aetio-Cretans survive the Dark Ages and emerge with their language and many other traits of the former Minoan culture still preserved. We will talk more about the Aetio-Cretans in the Archaic and Classical periods in the future, so make sure you subscribe and click the bell button, so you don't miss the upcoming content. If you wish to support the channel through Patreon and take part in the decision making when it comes to future topics, click the link in the video description. We're introducing the Super Thanks. The Super Thanks button allows you, the viewers, to show an extra gratitude to the channel and get your comments highlighted and noticed not only by myself, but other viewers as well. Underneath the video, you will see a heart with a dollar sign in it. You can enter any amount that you find suitable. Hopefully you enjoy the content. Special thanks to History with Cy, Nico, Chris Ernst, Panagiotis Yiannopoulos, Fred Leckie, Tim Lane, ABC Shake, Derek Wildstar, Padre91, Argyris Margaritis, Poel Sally Briggs, Labelle Olmier, Mercy and Thane, Luis Saldames, Vineyard Illumination and Estate Care for their continuous support. This was One X TV and we'll see you again soon.