CRETE -- EUROPE'S EARLIEST CIVILIZATION

C R E T E 

Europe’s earliest civilization was born and grew on the island of Crete.  When it started to decline it was invaded by the first Greek-speaking people, the gold-rich Mycenaeans.

The island of Crete lies on the southern edge of the Aegean Sea. It is between the modern countries of Greece and Turkey.

The civilization of Crete may have developed on the island but it must have been influenced by Asia Minor today’s Turkey and some from Egypt. 

PALACE IN KNOSSOS 
 RECONSTRUCTED

By 1950 BC Crete was build up with beautiful palaces and large prosperous towns. It is thought that this prosperity could have been from a great cultivation of olives and vines resulting into an extensive trade round the Mediterranean.

STORAGE JARS AT KNOSSOS

The Greeks arriving later but kept the memory of this great civilization and the history grew into a legend. Therefore, it is hard to tell, nowadays, where facts ends and legends begin. The best known legend was that Athens sent youths and maidens to the Cretan King Minos as a tribute.  He sacrificed them to the man-bull
 Minataur which lived in a labyrinth. One day an Athenian hero Theseus killed the beast and escaped his faith.

Because of the legend the civilization was named Minoan which is an adjective of Minos. However, the facts are more likely that bulls were sacrificed and no people. The danger laid with acrobats trained to catch the bull by the horns and vault right over it.

MINOANS

From evidence of their brightly painted houses and palaces it is assumed that the Minoan society was unusually light-hearted, loving pleasure and relaxed.  Furthermore the Cretans were peaceful people and although they surrounded their palaces and cities with high walls but their soldiers went without body armour for centuries.

INSIDE PALACE SCENE

The palaces consisted of a complex number of rooms. Knossos is believed to be the biggest and it is thought that the kings or overlords were living there. Phaistos, Mallia and Hagia Triada were nonetheless large. All palaces and towns had piped water and sewage systems.

It was established from the finds that around 1750 BC the palaces were destroyed and it is thought it might have been an earthquake. However, Minoan culture was still in it height and  they rebuilt the ruins even on a grandeur scale.  Sadly, after 1600 BC the Minoan civilization began to decline for unknown reason. When a new catastrophe struck in 1450 BC it seems to be too much for the people to recover from. It was most likely from the volcanic eruption which caused a great hole in the island of Thera about only 70 miles away. It also could have been caused by a gigantic tidal wave. It was most properly felt right through the eastern Mediterranean. The impact was so great a legend grew that Thera is the lost Atlantis because it sunk into the ocean.

When this occurred the palaces were never rebuilt and the Minoan civilization finally declined.  Archaeologists discovered a large numbers of clay tablets. They inscribed with a script more likely to an earlier form of Greek.  From these finds it is assumed that by this time Crete had fallen into the hand of warriors from the mainland Greece – The Achaeans or Mycenaeans.

The Achaeans were barbarians who came from the north of Greece. It was the same time as civilization developed in Crete.  The Minoans were short and clean shaven while the Achaeans were tall and with beards. They were warriors and fought from chariots which were not known in Crete. They built fortified cities each with an especially strongly defended citadel or acropolis.

MYCENAEANS' HELMET

RICH IN GOLD

Most of the cities were in Peloponnese which is the largest of the southern peninsular in Greece. The legendary city of Mycenae was mentioned in poetry as “rich in gold”.  It was the capital of the High King of the Achaeans. Since the name of the capital was Mycenae the Achaeans were called Mycenaeans and also the period were named after it.

MYCENAE THE CAPITAL 
 RECONSTRUCTED

The cities of the Myceanaeas were flourishing in around 1600 BC and they developed their own culture but heavily influenced by the Minoan Crete.  Myceanaeas eventually covered all the Aegean Islands and when the power of Crete was declining; they built up profitable trades across the eastern Mediterranean.  For a while they seem to have great power and were able to trade with the Hittite and Egyptian empires on equal terms.

MYCENAEAN' SWORDS

As with all great civilization they too started to decline in the 13^th century BC. It is thought the long war with Troy and its allies were draining their resources. Nevertheless the reason, the main Mycenaean centre collapsed in the 12^th century BC. It could also be that there were new Greek-speaking people the Dorians. Eventually the Achaeans and Dorians settle their problems between them and became integrated. It still encouraged some Achaeans to migrate to Ionia which was on west coast and is today’s Turkey.

During all this upheaval civilization was in decline. By the 11^th century BC writing was forgotten, pottery and other works of art were lost. Several catastrophes struck Greece and it was eventual pushed it into the Dark Ages.