The Legendary Mainland Flood
There is a legend that is said to attribute a washing away of the part of the mainland of Greece to a flood. The flood need not necessarily have been a flood of water but may very well have been a flood of people that swept down and washed over the local population. The description of the Athenian State that Plato presents to us seems to be even more fictitious than his description of Atlantis. We are told of the might of the mythical Atlantis and a nation that could overpower her must have been possessed of even greater powers. We know of several floods of invading tribes that swept into Attica between the time of the fall of Knossos (1400BC) and 900 BC. It seems that the mainland forces, those responsible for the physical crushing of the Minoan Empire, did not, themselves, have long to enjoy their new freedom and superiority over the more sophisticates people from Crete. The conquerors themselves were soon swept away from Myceanea, Tirybs and the other mainland centers being overcome by the Aegeans spoken of by Homer. Later still the Dorians arrived and swept away the last remaining traces of the great Minoan civilization that existed in the Mycenaean world. After this date only a very degraded and degenerate form of the old civilization remained and this existed only in the outlying areas and in the smaller islands that were not touched by the changes of the Mediterranean world.
The Last of The Minoan Civilization on Crete.
The Cretan sites that were situated above the reaches of the destructive tidal wave s suffered damage from the earthquakes but still managed to survive into the 15th century BC. The Palace at Phaestos was destroyed about 1400 BC. This may have been due to another earthquake. That a number of the late palace period Cretans stayed on the island while others fled the quakes and attacks is certain. There also stayed upon the island and near to the palace of Minos, a section of the community, almost certainly of priest class who were still loyal to the memory of Minos. This can be read from evidence found in the Temple Tomb.
The tomb contained the roughly heaped, rather than ceremoniously buried remains of a number of individuals. From the condition of the remains it appears that the occupants of the tomb did not die from natural causes, nor did they die due to an attack. They must have died when the tomb was partially destroyed by the earthquake that ended the LM11 phase of Minoan culture.This tomb was used in a form of mortuary cult and the victims were probably in the process of performing some ceremony when the destructive waves hit the tomb and caused it to collapse. They may have been standing in the upper portion of the building.
There is evidence of a later burial within the tomb during its last stage of development, which opens with its restoration after the Great Catastrophe of LM1a. At this time its former crypt was reduced to a simple passageway as partition like walls were built up, perhaps to cover and hide the evidence of the first destruction of the crypt. It could no longer have served as part of the ritual functions anymore than the upper collapsed portion could have been completely reconstructed for cult use.
The old sepulture chamber, which had be excavated in the rock face, was left unharmed and in order to keep some worship functions, was apparently left open to the votaries as a substitute shrine for a bytylic cult. After some time this inner shrine was made to revert to its original purpose of serving as a burial place for the Minoan Great.
Near the corner of the vault and slightly to the right of the entrance , was discovered, on excavation, a small pit 2 1/2 feet square and 2 feet deep, containing what was clearly recognizable as a deposit of relics. These relics had been disturbed and did not include any human remains although they were clearly of the type used in child burials as well as those for an adult. This collection contained miniature vessels of the type discovered in early child burials. The style of pottery was without doubt LM11 with one large globular flask showing the typical LM11 three c's motif, of which it seemed to represent an advanced stage of artistic development. These burial relics correspond to some human remains that were discovered at floor level, just outside the entrance to the rock cut chamber.
Only two or three fragments of these human remains were found on the surface level in the adjoining corner of the vault to that of the pit containing the burial relics. Just outside the entrance there lay, at floor level, part of a skull, together with a small heap of related bones. From the position of these they could not have had any connection with the mortuary deposits that lay within the rough partitioning, formed on the south side of the crypt. It seems that they belong to the dame late burial within the vault itself as the fragmentary bones unearthed on the same level beside the pit. These remains consisted of the greater part of a skull and the bones of an adult male as well as one or two belonging to a child. The adult remains are taught to have belonged to a man of elderly age, though athletic in build. The skull responds to the other skulls found in the same region. The teeth appear to have been well worn, and the skull and a few bones must have belonged to the same individual - who was almost without doubt a Cretan.
The bones belonging to a child correspond to the funeral remains discovered in the pit, especially the toy vases. In this case it seems evident that the child was a close relative of the elderly man, perhaps his child or grandchild.
The mystery lies in why these two should have been buried at this late date in what can only be regarded as the historic vault in which the Priest Kings of Knossos had been buried. This late burial seems to have been the object of a funeral cult that lasted into the very last days of Minoan Knossos, The family of Minos, being forced to flee and unable to return because of hostile forces and later because they believed the island to have been destroyed, had left supporters with Minos and the bones may very well have been the remains of this last great ruler of the Minoans and the child remains those of his heir. If he died by attack from hostile forces and invading troops after the disaster that destroyed the palace his supporters may have buried him and continued the cult until they in their turn were forced to leave.