---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no doubt whatever that these…"
description: "\"“There is no doubt whatever that these Keftiu of the Egyptians were Cretans of the Minoan Age. They used to be considered Phoenicians, but this view wa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d27/leonard-william-king-10036_long-ago_there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-ke_1356080.jpg"
---

#  There is no doubt whatever that these Keftiu of the…

![“There is no doubt whatever that these Keftiu of the Egyptians were Cretans of the Minoan Age. They used to be considered Phoenicians, but this view was long ago exploded. They are not Semites, and that is quite enough. Neither are they Asiatics of any kind. They are purely and simply Mycenaean, or…” quote by Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d27/leonard-william-king-10036_long-ago_there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-ke_1356080.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d27/leonard-william-king-10036_long-ago_there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-ke_1356080.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d27/leonard-william-king-10036_long-ago_there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-ke_1356080.jpg)

> ““There is no doubt whatever that these Keftiu of the Egyptians were Cretans of the Minoan Age. They used to be considered Phoenicians, but this view was long ago exploded. They are not Semites, and that is quite enough. Neither are they Asiatics of any kind. They are purely and simply Mycenaean, or rather Minoan, Greeks of the pre-Hellenic period—Pelasgi, that is to say.””

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage argues that the Keftiu, once thought to be Phoenicians or Semites, are actually Minoan or Mycenaean Greeks from the pre‑Hellenic era.

**In simple terms:** Keftiu were Minoan Greeks, not Phoenicians or Semites.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and correct historical misclassifications.

Themes

history archaeology identity ancient cultures ethnicity

Mood

analytical inquisitive scholarly

Type

historical academic

When to use this quote

- museum curation
- academic research
- education curricula
- heritage tourism
- cultural diplomacy

Key Concepts

Minoan civilization Greek prehistory ethnolinguistic classification

Questions to Reflect On

- How do modern national narratives influence interpretations of ancient peoples?
- What implications does re‑classifying Keftiu have for understanding Mediterranean trade?

A Different Perspective

The evidence for this re‑identification is still debated among scholars.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/)

## Related quotes

> [All Cretans are liars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epimenides/all-cretans-are-liars/)

Epimenides

> [ \[The Cretans have\] more wit than words. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-cretans-have-more-wit-than-words/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Our Phoenician ancestors never left anything they undertook unfinished. Consider what they accomplished in their days, and the degree of culture they attained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ameen-rihani/our-phoenician-ancestors-never-left-anything-they-undertook/)

[Ameen Rihani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ameen-rihani/)

> [The dark cloud, which had been cleared by the Phoenician discoveries, and finally dispelled by the arms of Caesar, again settled on the shores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-dark-cloud-which-had-been-cleared-by-the-phoenician-discoveries/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [The Jehovah of the Jews is a suspicious tyrant, who breathes nothing but blood, murder, and carnage, and who demands that they should nourish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-d-holbach/the-jehovah-of-the-jews-is-a-suspicious-tyrant-who-breathes-nothing/)

[Baron d'Holbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-d-holbach/)

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Up until 1986, the top marginal rate, the top statutory rate was 50 percent. Now it's 35 percent. And all the pressure is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/up-until-1986-the-top-marginal-rate-the-top-statutory-rate-was-50/)

[Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/)

> [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [I was landscaping not too long ago, so I'm extremely grateful for the people supporting me in wrestling. Not that landscaping is terrible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-riddle/i-was-landscaping-not-too-long-ago-so-i-m-extremely-grateful-for-the/)

[Matt Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-riddle/)

> [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/)

[Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/)

> [There must be a technique for meeting pain. There must be a technique of endurance based on the power of the soul to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stannard-baker/there-must-be-a-technique-for-meeting-pain-there-must-be-a-technique/)

[Ray Stannard Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stannard-baker/)

> [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [“We ought to live each day as though it were our last day here below. But if I did, alas, I know it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/we-ought-to-live-each-day-as-though-it-were-our-last-day-here-below/)

[Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/)

## More by Leonard William King

> [“The great pyramid-builders of the IVth Dynasty seem to have been the last true Memphites.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-great-pyramid-builders-of-the-ivth-dynasty-seem-to-have-been-the/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“The idea was that in Palaeolithic days, contemporary with the Glacial Age of Northern Europe and America, the climate of Egypt was entirely different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-idea-was-that-in-palaeolithic-days-contemporary-with-the-glacial/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“As far as we can tell, then, Aha and Narmer were the first conquerors of the North, the unifiers of the kingdom, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/as-far-as-we-can-tell-then-aha-and-narmer-were-the-first-conquerors/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“The country to the north of Babylonia was known as Assyria at the time of the kings of the First Dynasty of Babylon, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-country-to-the-north-of-babylonia-was-known-as-assyria-at-the/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“For the First Dynasty of Babylon, to which the famous Hammurabi belonged, was very probably of Arab origin, to judge by the forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/for-the-first-dynasty-of-babylon-to-which-the-famous-hammurabi/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“After the reconsolidation of the Egyptian people, with perhaps an autocratic class of Semitic origin and a populace of indigenous Nilotic race, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/after-the-reconsolidation-of-the-egyptian-people-with-perhaps-an/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“For the culture of the Semites was Sumerian, the Semitic races owing their civilization to the Sumerians. That is as much as to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/for-the-culture-of-the-semites-was-sumerian-the-semitic-races-owing/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“The Kheta, or Hittites, were certainly not Semites, yet the Hyksos names are definitely Semitic. In fact it is most probable that the Hyksos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-kheta-or-hittites-were-certainly-not-semites-yet-the-hyksos-names/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“Certain elements of the early dynastic civilization, which do not appear in that of the earlier pre-dynastic period, resemble well-known elements of the civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/certain-elements-of-the-early-dynastic-civilization-which-do-not/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“The mere fact of so large and important an obelisk, inscribed with a Semitic text by an early Babylonian king, being found at Susa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/the-mere-fact-of-so-large-and-important-an-obelisk-inscribed-with-a/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“In fact, this communication seems to go so far back in time that we are gradually being led to perceive the possibility that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/in-fact-this-communication-seems-to-go-so-far-back-in-time-that-we/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“But at the end of the XIIIth Dynasty the great invasion of the Hyksos probably occurred, and all Northern Egypt fell under the Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/but-at-the-end-of-the-xiiith-dynasty-the-great-invasion-of-the-hyksos/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“It was not till the time of the XVIIIth Dynasty, indeed, that the Egyptians ceased to portray their kings as they really were, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/it-was-not-till-the-time-of-the-xviiith-dynasty-indeed-that-the/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“This is a very interesting theory, which, when carried out to its logical conclusion, would connect the Hyksos and Hittites racially with the pre-Hellenic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/this-is-a-very-interesting-theory-which-when-carried-out-to-its/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

> [“It is from the name of Seker that the modern Sak-kâra takes its title.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/it-is-from-the-name-of-seker-that-the-modern-sak-k-ra-takes-its-title/)

[Leonard William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

[Explore all 68 Leonard William King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/)

## More Long ago quotes

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [There must be a technique for meeting pain. There must be a technique of endurance based on the power of the soul to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stannard-baker/there-must-be-a-technique-for-meeting-pain-there-must-be-a-technique/)

[Ray Stannard Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stannard-baker/)

> [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Up until 1986, the top marginal rate, the top statutory rate was 50 percent. Now it's 35 percent. And all the pressure is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/up-until-1986-the-top-marginal-rate-the-top-statutory-rate-was-50/)

[Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/)

> [“We ought to live each day as though it were our last day here below. But if I did, alas, I know it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/we-ought-to-live-each-day-as-though-it-were-our-last-day-here-below/)

[Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/)

> [I was landscaping not too long ago, so I'm extremely grateful for the people supporting me in wrestling. Not that landscaping is terrible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-riddle/i-was-landscaping-not-too-long-ago-so-i-m-extremely-grateful-for-the/)

[Matt Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-riddle/)

> [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/)

[Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/)

> [“Waiting for Vengeance' Well, what is this? What am I coming to? And beyond that, what am I gonna do? Now there’s blankness Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/waiting-for-vengeance-well-what-is-this-what-am-i-coming-to-and/)

[Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/)

> [“We were putting into these gomers our fear of death, but who knew if they feared death? Perhaps they welcomed death like a dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-shem/we-were-putting-into-these-gomers-our-fear-of-death-but-who-knew-if/)

[Samuel Shem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-shem/)

> [“...The devil had long ago taken a shine to Tert Card, filled him like a cream horn with itch and irritation. His middle name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-annie-proulx-author/the-devil-had-long-ago-taken-a-shine-to-tert-card-filled-him-like-a/)

E. Annie Proulx (Author

> [So here is my story, may it bring Some smiles and a tear or so, It happened once upon a time, Far away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/so-here-is-my-story-may-it-bring-some-smiles-and-a-tear-or-so-it/)

[Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/)

> [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/)

Molly Caldwell Crosby

> [He had long ago learned that society imposes insults that must be borne, comforted by the knowledge that in this world there comes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/he-had-long-ago-learned-that-society-imposes-insults-that-must-be/)

[Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/)

[Browse all 2,059 Long ago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There is no doubt whatever that these Keftiu of the Egyptians were Cretans of the Minoan Age. They used to be considered Phoenicians, but this view was long ago exploded. They are not Semites, and that is quite enough. Neither are they Asiatics of any kind. They are purely and simply Mycenaean, or rather Minoan, Greeks of the pre-Hellenic period—Pelasgi, that is to say.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Leonard William King"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-keftiu-of-the-egyptians-were/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Long ago"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-keftiu-of-the-egyptians-were/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d27/leonard-william-king-10036_long-ago_there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-ke_1356080.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d27/leonard-william-king-10036_long-ago_there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-ke_1356080.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d27/leonard-william-king-10036_long-ago_there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-ke_1356080.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is no doubt whatever that these Keftiu of the Egyptians were Cretans of the Minoan Age. They used to…” — Leonard William King",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Leonard William King",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-william-king/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There is no doubt whatever that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-keftiu-of-the-egyptians-were/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-william-king/there-is-no-doubt-whatever-that-these-keftiu-of-the-egyptians-were/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
