Minoan is an IE language?

[JoatSimeon at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/2/01 5:40:22 PM Mountain Standard Time,
anthony.appleyard at UMIST.AC.UK writes:

> . Linear B records go into chariots at great length, but what were they used
> for? Not likely for routine war and travel within Crete.

-- actually, they're very clearly military in purpose; they're associated
with lists of spears, bows, armor, etc.

And horses/chariots were _very expensive_ in terms of Bronze Age economies;
it's exceedingly unlikely that that many were kept around just for show.
Horses were for war.

You can't use a chariot in steep, mountainous country; but then, steep
mountainous country is generally very thinly populated.  Even more so then,
before the widespread deforestation of upland Greece and the development of
advanced transhumant pasture systems.

Classical-era hoplite heavy infantry are also pretty well useless in
broken, uneven country, but remained the dominant military arm for
centuries.

That's because they were extremely useful in the areas most people lived --
on the small percentage of the landscape that was flat, open, arable land.
Control of such land was what war was _about_; the mountains were just
obstacles between the important, flat, places.