Minoan – Mycenaean Crete

Crete was the centre of Europe’s most ancient civilization, the Minoans. Tablets inscribed in Linear A have been found in numerous sites in Crete, and a few in the Aegean islands. The Minoans established themselves in many islands besides Ancient Crete: secure identifications of Minoan off-island sites include KeaKytheraMilosRhodes, and above all, Thera (Santorini).

Archaeologists ever since Sir Arthur Evans have identified and uncovered the palace-complex at Knossos, the most famous Minoan site. Other palace sites in Crete such as Phaistos have uncovered magnificent stone-built, multi-story palaces containing drainage systems,[5] and the queen had a bath and a flushing toilet. The expertise displayed in the hydraulic engineering was of a very high level. There were no defensive walls to the complexes. By the 16th century BC pottery and other remains on the Greek mainland show that the Minoans had far-reaching contacts on the mainland. In the 16th century a major earthquake caused destruction on Crete and on Thera that was swiftly repaired.

By about the 15th century BC a massive volcanic explosion known as the Minoan eruption blew the island of Thera apart, casting more than four times the amount of ejecta as the explosion of Krakatoa and generating a tsunami in the enclosed Aegean that threw pumiceup to 250 meters above sea level onto the slopes of Anaphi, 27 km to the east. Any fleet along the north shore of Crete was destroyed and John Chadwick suggests that the majority of Cretan fleets had kept the island secure from the Greek-speaking mainlanders. The sites, save Knossos, were destroyed by fires. Mycenaeans from the mainland took over Knossos, rebuilding some parts to suit them. They were in turn subsumed by a subsequent Dorian migration.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Explore More...

Elafonisi

Elafonisi

Elafonisi is one of the loveliest sand beaches in Crete. At the southern extremity of Crete’s west coast, the beach is long separated from the Elafonisi

Spinalonga Island

The island of Spinalonga (official name Kalidon) is located in the eastern part of Crete, near the town of Elounda. Harking back to the Venetian occupation, the

Loutro Sfakion

Loutro Sfakion. At this village there aren’t large hotels with pools, there aren’t any packed roads (there are no roads available) there are no crowded

Gramvousa

Northwest of Kissamos is the beautifully wild and remote Gramvousa, whose main attraction is the stunning lagoon like sandy beach of Balos on Cape Tigani on

Routes of Wine in Crete

Rent a Car and meet the Routes of Wine in Crete The “wine roads” of the Heraklion Prefecture lead visitors to age-old vineyards, historical villages,

Rethymno City

Rethymno is the island’s third largest town and one of the most picturesque with charming Venetian harbor that is crammed with fish taverns and cafes. The

Chania City

Chania is unreservedly Crete’s most evocative city. At the Venetian port, the light house is the most familiar picture when someone refers to this city. This

Phaistos Palace

The Minoan site of Phaistos is 63 kilometers south of Heraklion city. This was the second most important palatial city in all of Minoan Crete. The layout

Lassithi Plateau

Lassithi Plateau is one of the few areas in the Mediterranean with permanent inhabitants at an altitude over 800 metres. Lassithi plateau is 11 kilometres on