Minoan Warfare

Minoan Warfare

Minoan Warfare was fought entirely with war ships. Such was the Minoans naval power, that they relied little or not at all on the actions of foot troops. This is evident because the palaces, towns, and cities of the Minoan mainland, Crete, were unfortified, unlike their Mycenean counterparts.

Originally, the ship battles between the Minoans and their enemies were decided by boarding actions and projectile fire. The boarding actions were carried out by soldiers that the ships carried and after the fighting started, the oarsmen. It wasn't until several hundread years of these brutal boarding actions that the tactic of destroying the enemy ship came about. This was primarily accomplished with a 100 pound ram fixed to the front of the ship. This tactic worked until the warships were built in a larger yet less manuverable fasion. When the ships were built in this manner, the ship boarding tactic was once again used. Grapling hooks and boadring planks were also used to great effect.