So, in addition to demonizing #Matriarchal societies, #Homer took a stab at the survivors of the #BronzeAgeCollapse on #Crete by turning them into the #Cyclops! Not a surprise! I noticed that #Odysseus eyed the "Cyclops Island" as prime #RealEstate (like a typical #Colonist!). Of course the so-called "civilized" #AncientGreeks had to demonize peoples who had lived under female rulers or NO RULERS!
Were the Odyssey’s #Cyclopes Actually #Minoans?
By Caleb Howells, January 6, 2026
Excerpt: "Drawing on his experience sailing a replica of an Ancient Greek galley, Severin estimated that Odysseus would have reached the coast of Libya, specifically near the site that later became the Greek colony of Cyrene. This was the Land of the Lotus Eaters. From there, Odysseus resumed his journey back to Ithaca, logically sailing north toward Southern Greece. Along this route, he would likely have arrived at the southwestern corner of #Crete, where the peninsula of #Paleochora was once separated from the main island, forming a small offshore island.
"This scenario closely matches the Odyssey’s description of Odysseus arriving at a small island situated just beside the island where the Cyclopes lived.
How the Cyclopes match the Minoans of Crete
"Severin’s argument that Crete was the island of the Cyclopes is highly compelling. But how do the Minoans fit into this theory? Regarding the Minoan city of Kommos in southern Crete, Severin noted its abandonment in the Late Bronze Age and asked:
" 'What had happened to the survivors of Kommos and the other Minoan settlements along this coast? Could they have fallen back to the barest subsistence level, living in caves and practicing the sort of simple pastoral farming that Ulysses found among the Cyclopes?'
"In essence, Severin suggested that the Cyclopes of the Odyssey may have been Minoans who, after the collapse of their magnificent #BronzeAge civilization, returned to a #simpler, more primitive way of life. While Severin did not explore this idea in depth, a closer examination reveals there is substantial evidence for this."
Read more:
https://greekreporter.com/2026/01/06/odyssey-cyclopes-minoans/
#AncientHistory #Crete #Histodon #BronzeAgeCollapse #Colonialism

