What Does thalassocracy Mean
The idea of thalassocracy refers to the domain or power that is exercised over the ocean . The concept also mentions the political system that bases its power on this control of the seas.
Thalassocracy is linked to what is known as geostrategy : political and state positioning based on the control of geographic resources. In the case of thalassocracy, it is the States that develop from their dominance of maritime zones.
It is often claimed that the idea of thalassocracy arose to refer to the Minoan people , who ruled the Aegean Sea between 3,000 and 1,400 BC . This culture was settled on the island of Crete . The Athenians and the Phoenicians also developed thalassocracies in ancient times.
Closer in time, the Dutch and the Portuguese forged their empires from the strength of their maritime war fleet. In this way, there are historians who mention them as thalassocracies.
From the middle of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War II , the United Kingdom took the form of a thalassocracy and conquered multiple territories around the world through its naval might.
Thalassocracy is clearly evident in several medieval city-states . The typical example is the Republic of Venice , which was in force between the 9th century and 1797 and which, since 1866 , has been part of Italy .
Technological changes and the development of new means of transport made the thalassocracies lose their validity since the forms of domination and control were mutating.
Minoan civilization
One of the features that highlights the Minoan civilization in its environment is that, in the Copper and Bronze Age, there was no other culture that preceded it . Some of the terms by which historians generally refer to this civilization are Aegean , Pre-Hellenic , Minoan or Cretan culture .
It is worth mentioning that the name "Minoan" is due to the fact that the British archaeologist who discovered it, Sir Arthur John Evans , linked his most representative palace, that of Knossos , with that of King Minos in Greek mythology. There are those who assure that the period corresponding to this culture associated with the thalassocracy is the origin of Europe, the first link in its chain.
When speaking of their king, it is mentioned that he "ruled the Greek sea." Some stories say that King Minos demanded from Theseus, the mythical king of Athens, a tribute of human beings to feed the Minotaur every nine years, in revenge for having lost his son, Androgeus, whom they had murdered.
With regard to the way in which the Minoans referred to themselves, there is no evidence of a gentilicio. As an interesting fact, Homer speaks in the Odyssey of the "Eteocretans" to refer to some of the inhabitants of Crete, and perhaps they were the successors of the Minoans (it is necessary to point out that this literary work was written several centuries after the fall of Minoan culture).
The Minoans built a series of impressive palaces , among which are the aforementioned Knossos (the largest in the Bronze Age, discovered in 1900), Phaestos (the second in size on the entire island, found in a excavation some time later), Malia (a good example of the architectural vision of the proto-palatial period), Hagia Triada (an administrative center not far from Phaestos) and Gournia (located on a hill and with several water reservoirs).
Regarding the thalassocracy, numerous writings and legends (especially the legacy of the Athenian historian Thucydides) suggest that the Minoan civilization became a thalassocracy during the last three centuries of its existence, beginning in 1700 BC. C., and that the domain reached the Cyclades Islands .