Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-16

1t is the custom NOWADAYS to mako q
sort OF wonder of these achievements of the
Cretans, as though they were a people of
incredible artistic ability living in the dawn
OF civilization. But their great time was
long past that dawn; as late as 1000 B G.
1t took them many centuries to reach their
best in art and skill, and their art and
luxury are by no means so great a wonder
II we reflect that for 1000 years thew were
immune from invasion, that for thousand
years they were at peace
Was 1t Legend or Fact?
Century after century their artisans
could perfect their skill, and their men and
women refine upon refinement Wherever
men OF almost any race have been COM
paratiyely safe in this fashion for such a
length of time, they have developed much
artistic beauty. Given the opportunity. all
races artistic.
Greek legend has 1t that it was in Crete
that Daedalus attempted to make the first
lying machine. Daedalus Cunning artifi-
cer) was a sort of personified summary Of
mechanical skill. 1t is curious to speculate
what germ of fact lies behind him and
those waxen wings that, according to the
legend, melted and plunged his son Icarus
in the sea.
There came at last a change in the con-
dItlon of the lives of these Cretans for
other peoples, the Greeks and the Phoeni-
clans, were also coming out with powerful
fleets upon the seas. We do not know
what led to the disaster nor who inflicted
it; but somewhere about 1,40O B. c.
Cnossos sacked and burnt, and though
the Cretan life struggled on there rather
lamely for another four centuries there
came at last a final blow about 1000 B. c.
Chat is to say, in the days of the Assyrian
ascendancy in the East( The palace at
Cnossos was destroyed, and never rebuilt
nor reinhabi
Possibly this was done by the ships of
those new corners into the Mediterranean,
the barbaric Greeks, a group of Aryan-
speaking tribes from the north, who may
have wiped out Cnossos they wiped out
the city of Troy. The legend of Theseus
tells of such a raid. He entered the Lady
rinth (Which may have been the Cnossos
palace by the aid of Ariadne, the daugh-
ter of Minos, and slew the Minotaur.
The Iliad makes it clear that destruction
came upon Troy because the Trojans stole
Greek women. Modern writer's, with mod
ern ideas in their heads, have tried to
make out that the Greeks assaied Troy
in order to secure a trade route or some
such fine-spun commercial advantages. If
So the authors of the "I1iad" hid the mo-
lives of their characters very skillfully. 1t
would be about reasonable to say that
the Homeric Greeks went to war with the
Trojans in order to be we'll ahead with
station on the Berlin to Bagdad railway.
The Vengeance of the Greeks
The Homerc Greeks were healthy bar
barrie Aryan people, with very poor ideas
about trade and trade routes" they went
to war with the Trojans because they were
thoroughly annoyed about this stealing of
women
It is fairly clear from the Minos legend
and from the evidence of the Cnossos re-
mains, that the Cretans kidnapped or stole
Youths and maidens to be slaves, bull
fighters, athletes, and perhaps sacrifices.
They traded fairly with the Egyptians, but
it may be they did not realize the gathering
strength of the Greek barbarans they
traded" violently with them, and so
brought sword and flame upon themselves
Copyright 1929