【帝国时代一】米诺斯文明在官方说明文件中的描述

注：英语原文取自最古老版本的帝国时代一的帮助文件中，关于历史的文本量相当巨大，但在win7系统更新后，以win95为基础的hlp文件被淘汰，如今已经很难找到打开hlp文件的方法。如有大佬能提供支援就好了。

注：因为原hlp文件并未随着罗马复兴资料片的更新而更新，所以这个系列不包含新增的罗马、迦太基、马其顿和巴尔米拉文明。

注：因为年代久远（1996年左右），很多记述可能已经与最新的考古发现有着显著的差异。

注：蹩脚英语，翻译腔，懒得润色的语句。

注：英语原文放在前面，汉语翻译放在后面。

更多资料：世界地理历史小常识65——希腊（CV5643967）

Minoan culture (2200 to 1200 BC)

Primitive agricultural communities sprang up around the Aegean Sea by 6000 BC but this area lagged behind Egypt and Mesopotamia in advancing toward civilization. For reasons not yet understood, the island-based Minoan culture made a sudden leap forward around 2000 BC and became the first civilization of Europe. The sudden take-off may have been stimulated by trading contact with Mesopotamia through Levant ports or through contact with Egypt. One theory suggests that refugees from Egypt during a time of turmoil may have emigrated to Crete and brought technology and ideas with them.

Location

The Minoan culture was centered on the island of Crete, but extended to other nearby islands, including Thera and Rhodes. They may have colonized the Anatolian coast at Miletus and elsewhere. By the extension of trade, they influenced the developing Greek culture on the mainland and other Aegean islands.

Capital

The palace at Knossos on Crete was the capital of the Minoan civilization. It remained a hidden ruin until rediscovered and revealed in the twentieth  century.

Rise to power

The Minoans were an economic power, not a military one. They preserved their economic advantages by apparently controlling ship traffic in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. For approximately 800 years they dominated trade in these regions. They were so secure on their islands, protected by their ships, that they never fortified their cities.

Economy

Crete was rich in natural resources, including farmland, water supplies, timber, copper, building stone, and access to the sea. The Minoans were prosperous thanks to agriculture and fishing, but grew rich primarily on trade.The Minoans grew grain, fruits, herbs, and olives. Grain, wine, olive oil, timber, ceramics, and manufactured goods were their principal exports. They imported tin, silver, gold, linen, luxury items, and raw materials for manufacturing.

Religion and culture

The high standard of living, the relative abundance of food and other good things, and the security of their island homes gave the Minoans an outlook on life substantially different from other contemporary cultures. Perhaps because life was good, worship and communication with gods was not stressed. They built no great temples. Their religion was dominated by female goddesses who protected the household, the crops, and the animals. The Minoans made regular offerings of food, statues, and other objects.The Minoans may have practiced human sacrifice at one time. There is a famous tale of a minotaur, half man, half bull, who lived in a labyrinth beneath the palace. Young people were sacrificed to the minotaur each year. The high priest or king may have worn a bull mask for the sacrifice, creating the illusion of half man, half animal.They believed in an afterlife and buried the dead with food and possessions that would be of use. Two sacred symbols were bull horns and the doubled-sided axe.The Minoans developed a hieroglyphic writing system around 2000 BC, perhaps following trading contact with the Egyptians. By 1900 BC they had developed a new script now called Linear A. A third script called Linear B came into use at Knossos around 1450 BC. To date, only Linear B has been deciphered, but most of the surviving examples are accounting records that reveal little about their history and culture.Surviving artwork shows the people of Crete engaging in the sport of bull-jumping. The significance of this activity is not known. Young men and women are depicted approaching a charging bull, grabbing it by the horns, and somersaulting over the animal's back to land behind it. The everyday life of the Minoans was pleasant and relatively free of war and unrest, as witnessed by the richness and exuberance of their frescos, wall paintings, and decorative objects.

Government

The great palace at Knossos was also a giant warehouse. The distribution of food and other goods may have been organized from here.The only king whose name survives was Minos. It may be that the word minos referred to the office, not the man, like the Egyptian term pharaoh.

Military

The Minoans had little apparent need for an army, relying instead on their navy to keep any enemies from approaching. Minoan ships were galleys, manned by rowers on both sides. Narrow galleys were fast and maneuverable, allowing them to overtake slower sailing ships of the day. They did not employ rams at this early date, according to the evidence of surviving artwork.

Decline and fall

The idyllic life of the Minoans was disrupted by natural disasters. The archaeological remains indicate that the palace of Knossos was destroyed by an earthquake in 1700 BC and rebuilt. The nearby island of Thera was partially sunk by a volcanic eruption and the resulting tidal wave probably struck Crete, causing extensive damage. The Minoan culture suffered from recurrent earthquakes and the Thera explosion, but the extent of the damage and its effect on their civilization is debated.There are two main scenarios for the end of the Minoan culture. According to the oldest theory, mainland Greeks invaded around 1450 BC, essentially destroying the culture, although it lingered for 700 years more until mainland Greece itself was overrun. In the second scenario, based on more recent research, the Minoans suffered through disaster and a resulting loosening of their control of sea trade and movement, but did not succumb to the mainland Greeks. The Minoans were instead destroyed along with the Myceneans on the mainland by barbarians as part of the catastrophe of 1200 BC. Evidence suggests that by 1180 BC the Cretans had moved from coastal towns and palaces to defensive city sites high in the hills. Attacks and the threat of further attacks were the probable cause of this shift.

Legacy

The Minoans are remembered today for their fabulous palace and frescoes at Knossos, now partially restored. It may have been the largest and most beautiful palace of the late Bronze Age. They are also remembered for their mysterious writings, some of which continue to defy linguists.

米诺斯文明（公元前2200至1200年）

公元前6000年，原始农业社会围绕爱琴海兴起，但这一地区落后于埃及和美索不达米亚的文明发展。由于尚未了解的原因，岛基的米诺斯文化在公元前2000年突然兴起，成为欧洲的第一个文明。突然的腾飞可能是由于与美索不达米亚和黎凡特的贸易或者通过与埃及的接触刺激的。一种理论认为，在埃及的动乱时期，有些埃及难民来到了克里特，并带来了技术和思想。

位置

米诺斯文化以克里特岛为中心，并延伸到其他附近岛屿，包括色拉岛和罗德岛。他们可能在米利都或安纳托利亚海岸的其他地方殖民。通过贸易延伸，影响了大陆和其他爱琴海群岛的发展中的希腊文化。

首都

克里特岛的科诺索斯宫殿是米诺斯文明的首都，它直到二十世纪才被重新发现和揭示。

发展壮大

米诺斯人是一股经济力量，而不是军事力量，他们通过明显控制爱琴海和地中海的船舶交通来保护其经济优势。大概800年来他们主宰着这些地区的贸易，他们在岛上如此安全，受到船只的保护，以至于他们从未加强城市的守卫。

经济

克里特岛自然资源丰富，包括农田、供水、木材、铜、建筑石材、和进出海港口。由于农业和渔业，米诺斯人繁荣昌盛，但主要还是因为贸易致富。米诺斯人种植谷物、水果、草药、橄榄。粮食、葡萄酒、橄榄油、木材、陶瓷和手工制品是主要出口产品。他们进口锡、银、金、亚麻、奢侈品和用于加工的原材料。

宗教与文化

因为生活水平高、食物相对丰富以及其他好东西，以及他们安全的岛屿故乡，使得米诺斯人与同时代其他文化有很大不同。也许因为生活美好，崇拜和与神的沟通没有任何压力。他们没有建造伟大的寺庙。他们的宗教由保护家庭、作物和动物的女神主宰，米诺斯人定期供应食物、雕像和其他物品。米诺斯人可能会进行人类牺牲，比如著名的米诺陶故事，半人半牛的怪物住在宫殿下面的一个迷宫里。每年都有年轻人被牺牲给米诺陶。大祭司或国王可能为牺牲戴了面具，造成了半人半牛的幻觉。他们相信来生，并用食物和财富陪葬死者，以及两个神圣符号：牛角和双面斧。米诺斯人在公元前2000年左右开发了一个象形文字的书写系统，可能用于和埃及人贸易。在公元前1900年，他们开发了一个新的书写系统，现在成为线性一系统。第三个书写系统线性二系统在公元前1450年左右在科诺索斯开始使用。到目前为止，只有线性二系统被解密，但大多数的例子是会计记录，显示他们历史和文化的很少。还有一种幸存的艺术品展示克里特岛上人们进行跳牛运动，这个活动意义未知，年轻的男人和女人被描绘接近一个冲刺的公牛，抓住它的角并翻跟头跳过牛背落到地上站稳。米诺斯人的日常生活较为愉快轻松，相对的没有战乱。如其丰富的壁画、墙绘和装饰品所展示的。

政府

科诺索斯的大宫殿也是一个巨型仓库。食物和其他物品的分配可能是从这里组织的。唯一知道名字的国王叫米诺斯，这可能不是一个人的名字，而是像埃及的法老一样，是个称号。

军事

米诺斯人对陆军几乎没有需求，而是靠海军来使敌人远离。米诺斯人的船是单层甲板划桨船，这种船狭长快速机动，允许他们超过当时较慢的帆船，根据现存的艺术品，他们并没有在船头加装冲撞装置。

衰落与灭亡

米诺斯人田园诗般的生活被自然灾害毁掉，考古遗迹证明，科诺索斯的宫殿在公元前1700年遭到地震破坏，后来重建。附近的色拉岛因为火山喷发而部分沉没，造成的海啸则袭击了克里特岛，造成了广泛的破坏。米诺斯文化受到经常性的地震和色拉岛的喷发影响。但是破坏程度及其对文明的影响是有争议的。米诺斯文化消亡的两个主要情形，根据最古老的理论，大约希腊人在公元前1450年左右入侵，基本上摧毁了文明，尽管它本身延续了700多年，直到希腊大陆本身超越了它。第二种情况下，根据最近的研究，米诺斯人遭受了自然灾害，导致海上贸易和运输的放松，但并没有被希腊人征服。但最后在公元前1200年的海民运动中，米诺斯人与大陆上的迈锡尼一起被摧毁。有证据表明，公元前1180年，克里特岛从沿海城镇和宫殿转移至山丘上的防御型城市中。攻击和进一步攻击的威胁可能是这种转变的原因。

遗产

米诺斯人因为现在科诺索斯神话般的宫殿和壁画被牢记，现在已经部分恢复了。他可能是青铜时代最晚期最美丽的宫殿，他们也因为他们的神秘著作而被记住，其中一些著作至今嘲讽着语言学家。

这是帝国时代一相关文明说明文件翻译的第（4/12）部：

1.埃及：CV13647116 

2.希腊：CV13828033

3.巴比伦：CV13907052

4.亚述：CV13984562

5.米诺斯：本篇

6.赫梯：

7.腓尼基：

8.苏美尔：

9.波斯：

10.商：

11.朝鲜：

12.大和：