ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

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Thalassocratia (from “sea” + “power”) is a subtype of the state (ancient, medieval or modern), the entire economic, political and cultural life of which, due to lack of land resources or a special geographical location, focuses on activities in one way or another related to the sea, maritime navigation, and control of maritime spaces and / or coastal regions. The antipode, and in some cases the result, of thalassocracy is tellurocracy, i.e. control over the vast continental spaces that make up the core of the state.

A vivid example of a thalassocracy state is Japan, as well as many other island states.

Thalassocracy and Empire
Thalassocracy can act as the first stage in the formation of an empire, for example, British, Portuguese. The main difference between thalassocracy and empire is that thalassocracy, as a rule, does not control any significant land areas when removed from the sea inland. Thalassocracy is mainly built on the linear chains of coastal port cities in which people from the main city (metropolis) live or control. The classical Thallasocracy was the Byzantine Empire of the Isaurian times (VIII century). A powerful fleet, armed with “Greek fire”, allowed the Byzantines to control many port enclave cities in Italy, Greece and Dalmatia and successfully repulse the onslaught of Lombards, Slavs and Arabs.

Minoan thalassocracy

The first recorded thalassocracy with a clear thalassocratic political and economic policy was the state of Minoan Crete. The Minoans launched active foreign policy activities, relying on the superiority of their fleet. Their activities mainly affected the Aegean basin, but there were well-established contacts with both the Western Mediterranean and Eastern countries.

The Minoan expansion spread along sea routes from the Aegean Sea to the Eastern Mediterranean and was based on a dense network of island stations, harbors and coastal structures. The extent of their relationship with Crete and, consequently, the degree of Minoan influence depended on factors such as remoteness from the “mother” island, the position in the trading network, the importance in terms of the provision of raw materials and the distribution of goods, as well as the spread of technological innovations and cultural characteristics of the region.

Minoan navigators were both warriors and traders, and perhaps pirates, but the fact that they dominated the sea, indicate many ancient authors: Herodotus, Strabo, Thucydides, Applodor, Plutarch and others. This written evidence is supported by an abundance of archaeological finds. The islands closest to Crete, especially the Cyclades, were, of course, to be the first to fall into the sphere of influence of the maritime power. We find evidence of this in ancient literature. Thucydides writes in History: As we know from tradition, Minos was the first of the rulers