Empire · 3100–1100 BCE · Europe
Minoan civilisation
Also known as Minoan
The Minoans, named by the archaeologist Arthur Evans after the legendary King Minos, created Europe's first advanced civilisation on the island of Crete. From about 1900 BCE they built large palace complexes at Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros, which acted as centres for religion, storage and craft production.
Minoan ships traded across the eastern Mediterranean with Egypt and the Levant, and their colourful frescoes show bull-leaping, processions and sea life. They wrote in a script called Linear A, which is still undeciphered, so their rulers' names and language are unknown. After widespread destruction around 1450 BCE, possibly linked to earthquakes and the aftermath of the Thera eruption, Crete came under Mycenaean Greek control, and Minoan culture faded by about 1100 BCE.
- Years
- 3100–1100 BCE
- Capital
- Knossos (leading palace on Crete)
- Greatest extent
- 1600 BCE, about 15,000 km²
- Region
- Europe
Neopalatial period: Crete plus Aegean islands such as Thera
Legacy
Minoan art, architecture and seafaring strongly influenced Mycenaean Greece and inspired the Greek myths of the Minotaur and the labyrinth.
Rulers
- Rulers of Knossos (names unknown) c. 1900 – 1450 BCE
Linear A is undeciphered; the name Minos comes from later Greek legend
- Mycenaean Greek rulers at Knossos c. 1450 – 1375 BCE
Greek-speaking overlords who kept records in Linear B
Realms on the map
- Minoan civilization 1600–1401 BCE