The island of Crete is one of the most prominent places in the history of Greece. The island saw the rise and fall of one of the earliest civilizations which were the Minoan civilization. Ancient Greek Crete was almost in the center of the Mediterranean Sea.

Ancient Greek Crete

The Minoan civilization flourished on the island for almost 1600 years. Ancient Greek Crete is one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea spanning around 200 km East to West and with a total land area of 8336 square kilometers.

Knossos

Knossos was the largest city on the island and is considered the capital. Though, Ancient Greek Crete was so huge that it wasn’t possible to control it from one place and hence it was divided into 8 political units during the Minoan civilization.

The Minoan civilization which got its name from the mythical king Mino were the early inhabitants of the island. The soil of Crete was fertile which invited a lot of farming and trading activities. The good trade resulted in money and hence the people of Crete had a decent lifestyle. The island had a lot of places and it also had paths, sewage systems, and walls.

The long and rich history of Crete which began way back in the Neolithic period faced a huge setback in Knossos was destroyed by a tsunami. Archaeologists also say that there had been a huge volcanic eruption in Thera which affected the island a lot.