Crete, Ancient

A stunning civilization arose in Crete between 1950 BCE and 1200 BCE,only to collapse for reasons that are as yet not clearly understood. What caused this civilization to flourish, and then mysteriously disappear? What were its links to events on the mainland of Greece?Since the early 1900s, archaeologists have uncovered monumental buildings and evidence suggesting that Crete presents a clear case of early state formation. What remains unclear is who the people were and what language they spoke. Also found were three prealphabetic writing systems, two of which remain to be deciphered. The third writing system,Linear B, is derived from the first two and proved to be early Greek; it was deciphered during the 1950s by the English architect Michael Ventris. The information received from the Linear B clay tablets forced scholars to rewrite the history of early Greek civilization. The other two represent an unknown language: If deciphered, what would they tell us?

Crete was a mysterious place for the ancient Greeks as well: It was believed to be the birthplace of their god Zeus. Minos, the legendary king of Crete, was the son of Zeus and Europa, a princess kidnapped from Asia Minor. Minos later became a judge in the underworld. According to Athenian legend, the Minotaur, a bull-like creature, lived in the labyrinth and demanded human sacrifice: Seven maidens and seven young men had to be sent on a yearly basis. Finally, the cycle was interrupted by the hero Theseus, who seduced Minos's daughter Ariadne into helping him out of the maze. Crete was also the dwelling place of Daedalus, the [Page 592]clever artist and the first man to fly:Unfortunately, his son Icarus came too close to the sun and fell into the sea en route to Sicily.

Source: © iStockphoto/Paul Cowan.