Home Region:  Southeastern Europe (Europe)

Monopalatial Crete

1450 BCE 1300 BCE
EQ 2020  gr_crete_mono_palace / GrCrMPa
Preceding Entity: Add one more here.
[continuity; Neopalatial Crete] [continuity]   Update here

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.
1300 BCE 1200 BCE Postpalatial Crete (gr_crete_post_palace_1)    [None]


  General Description  
Crete is a large island in the Eastern Mediterranean. Here we consider the phase of its history best known as the Monopalatial Era. This period began following the destruction of many Minoan sites around 1450, due either to natural catastrophes or human agency [1] [2] , and it ended with the destruction of Knossos [3] Throughout this period, Knossos was the main political, administrative and economic centre of the island: analyses of both textual and archaeological data shows that Knossos controlled a series of second-order (e.g. Kydonia and Phaistos) and third-order (e.g. Tylissos) centers [4] [5] . However, a resurgence of elite display at second-order sites, starting in 1370, suggests a possible power shift in the final decades of this era, and the decline of Knossian influence over the island [6] .
Population and Political Organization
The supreme leader of the state was the king, known as wanax [7] He presided over the political, economic and religious hierarchy. It is not certain, however, whether he had any military or judicial duties. Ranked second was the lawagetas, a military leader. [8] Below these leaders were the hequetai, followers, who accompanied military contingents and may also performed other functions. Other officials, the so-called collectors, were involved in acquiring and distributing exchange commodities. Among the figures at a lower level were the qasireu who served as overseer of group of workers -the predecessor of the word known from ancient Greek as the word for the king (baseless) - the telestas , officials, the korete and porokorete, mayor and vice-mayor, and scribes [9] .
Firth estimates that, at this time, Crete numbered 110,000 inhabitants [10] .

[1]: (Driessen and Macdonald 1997, 106-109) Jan Driessen. and Colin F. Macdonald. 1997. The Troubled Island. Minoan Crete Before and After the Santorini Eruption. Liège: Université de Liège, Histoire de l’art et archéologie de la Grèce antique; Austin: University of Texas at Austin, Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory

[2]: (Christakis 2008, 144-146) Kostis S. Christakis. 2008. The Politics of Storage. Storage and Sociopolitical Complexity in Neopalatial Crete. Philadelphia, Pa.: INSTAP Academic Press.

[3]: (Popham 1994, 89-102) Mervyn Popham. 1994. ‘Late Minoan II to the end of the Bronze Age,’ in Knossos: A Labyrinth of History, edited by Don Evely, Helen Hughes-Brock, and Nicoletta Momigliano. British School at Athens; Oxford: Oxbow.

[4]: (Bennet 1988, 19-42) John Bennet. 1988. ‘Outside in the distance: problems in understanding the economic geography of Mycenaean palatial territories,’ in Text, Tablets and Scribes. Studies in Mycenaean Epigraphy and Economy Offered to Emmett L. Bennett, Jr., edited by Jean-Pierre Olivier and Thomas G. Palaima. Salamanca: Ediciones Universidad.

[5]: (Bennet 1990, 193-211) John Bennet. 1990. ‘Knossos in context: comparative perspectives on the Linear B administration of LM II-III Crete’. American Journal of Archaeology 94:193-211.

[6]: (Preston 2008, 316-317) Laura Preston. 2008. ‘Late Minoan II to IIIB Crete,’ in The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age, edited by Cynthia W. Shelmerdine. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[7]: (Shelmerdine 2008, 292-295) Cynthia W. Shelmerdine. 2008. ‘12: Mycenaean states. 12A: Economy and administration,’ in The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age, edited by Cynthia W. Shelmerdine. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[8]: (Nikoloudis, 587-594) S. Nikoloudis. 2008. ‘The role of the ra-wa-ke-ta: insights from PY Un718,’ in Colloquium Romanum: Atti del XII Colloquio Internazionale di Micenologia. Roma 20-15 febbraio 2006, edited by A. Sacconi, M. del Freo, L. Godart, and M. Negri. Rome.

[9]: K. Christakis, pers. comm., 2016

[10]: (Firth 1995, 33-55) R.J. Firth. 1995. ‘Estimating the population of Crete during LM IIIA/B’. Minos 29-30: 33-55.

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.
Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.
Power Transitions Coding in Progress.
Instability Events Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace) was in:
 (1450 BCE 1301 BCE) Crete
Home NGA: Crete

General Variables
Identity and Location Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Utm Zone 35 S 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Original Name Monopalatial Crete 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Capital 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Alternative Name Mycenaean Crete 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Alternative Name Third Palatial Period 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Alternative Name Final Palatial Crete 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Alternative Name Creto-Mycenaean Crete 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Temporal Bounds Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Peak Years
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Duration
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Political and Cultural Relations Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Suprapolity Relations 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Supracultural Entity Cretan Broze Age Civilization 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Succeeding Entity Final Palatial Crete 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity continuity 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Succeeding Entity
1300 BCE 1200 BCE
Postpalatial Crete (gr_crete_post_palace_1)   [None] 
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Preceding Entity
continuity; Neopalatial Crete [continuity]    Update here
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Degree of Centralization 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Language Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Linguistic Family Indo-European 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Language 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Language 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Religion Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Population of the Largest Settlement 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Polity Territory 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Polity Population 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Hierarchical Complexity Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Settlement Hierarchy 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Religious Level 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Military Level 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Administrative Level 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Professions Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Professional Soldier 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Professional Priesthood 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Professional Military Officer 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Specialized Government Building Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Full Time Bureaucrat 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Law Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Professional Lawyer Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Judge Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
Court Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Market 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Food Storage Site 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Drinking Water Supply System Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Transport Infrastructure Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Road Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Port Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Canal Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Bridge Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Special-purpose Sites Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Mines or Quarry 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Information / Writing System Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Written Record 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Script 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Scientific Literature Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Sacred Text Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Religious Literature Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Practical Literature Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Philosophy Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Lists Tables and Classification Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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History Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Fiction 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Calendar 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Information / Money Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Token 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Precious Metal 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Paper Currency Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Indigenous Coin Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Foreign Coin Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Article 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Information / Postal System Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Postal Station Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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General Postal Service Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Courier Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Information / Measurement System Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Modern Fortification Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Fortified Camp Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Complex Fortification Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Long Wall absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Military use of Metals Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Bronze Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Projectiles Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Tension Siege Engine Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Sling Siege Engine Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Sling 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Self Bow Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Javelin 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Handheld Firearm Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Crossbow Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Composite Bow 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Atlatl Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Handheld weapons Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
War Club Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Sword 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Spear 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Polearm Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Dagger Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Animals used in warfare Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Horse Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Elephant Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Camel Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Armor Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Shield Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Scaled Armor 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Plate Armor Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Limb Protection 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Leather Cloth Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Laminar Armor Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Helmet 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Chainmail Absent 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Breastplate Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Naval technology Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Specialized Military Vessel Unknown Suspected 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc Present 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Religion Variables
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers 1450 BCE  1300 BCE
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Human Sacrifice Monopalatial Crete (gr_crete_mono_palace)
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Instability Data
Power Transitions