How’s this for a theory? The artists may have been forced to leave the Aegean because of the eruption of Thera (Santorini)
The dates are relatively close. “ Despite this evidence, the exact date of the eruption has been difficult to determine. Current estimates based on radiocarbon dating indicate that the eruption occurred between 1627 BCE and 1600 BCE.[19] However, this range of dates conflicts with the previous estimate—based on archaeological studies utilizing conventional Egyptian chronology—of about a century later.[19][20][21]”
The eruption was a huge event in the Aegean. Who knows how long its effects may have altered the opportunities for artists in the Minoan culture througout the Aegean.
:’) Bietak’s changed the date and pharaoh on this site over the years, mostly to reflect the singleminded drive (delusional system) of those who want to push the date of the Thera eruption back and put the blame for the fall of the Minoan palace civ’ on the volcano.
Trouble is, under the conventional pseudochronology moving back the date of the (imaginary) super-eruption makes it A) even less plausible as the cause and B) best case scenario is that the cause is accepted and all the synchronisms established over the past century or so will dissolve in a hideous miasma.
Okay, yeah, so, I’ve fallen in love with “miasma”. Never realized what fun it was to use that in a sentence. And it’s another word that fits in place of “volare’” in the song of the same name. ;’)
Here is some more theory, and I am using 1626 BC and 1640 BC for the Thera and the Hyksos beginnings.
- Twenty years before Thera, rumblings caused Santorini people to abandon the island (established information). They mostly move to Crete, but lack of artistic/other jobs either causes a number to move to the Hyksos, or a bunch moved and WERE the Hyksos.
- The great eruption caused a tsunami which may have destroyed much of Minian port activity. Destroying ships in port, many support structures, and a large number of shipping related artisans and craftsmen. Only those ships at sea survived to reestablish shipping. This led to the decline of Minoan civilization which was there but not so strong around 1500 BC (established information), time of Tutmosis III.
- More artists and craftspeople head for Egypt and elsewhere as Myceneans/Sea People put pressure on Crete.
- Around 1350 Ahkenaten and Nefirtiti went off to build Amarna. They took with them a number of artists from the Minoan school who were tired of the stylized and perscribed methods of depiction used by the Egyptian hierarchy, religious and royal. An artistry of naturalism of plants, animals, and even royal personages flourished for a few short years. Here is a detailed and interesting link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten