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Crete History
European civilization formed around the island of Crete. It contains roots of some of the most glorious and flourishing empires known.
Between 2800BC and 1400BC, the first European civilization, the Minoans, a woman dominated society, bloomed around Knossos, Phaistos, Zakros, Mallia, and Archanes. They were taken over by the Myceneans.
Around 1100 BC, the Dorians invaded the Myceneans. The region entered what historians see as a dark age. This dark age refers to the period between the Dorian invasion to the first rise of Greek city states in the 9th century BC. The civilizations saw a fall in cultural growth. This is said to have happened due to an ecological catastrophe. Afterwards Classical Greek civilization prospered in the years that followed.
The Romans conquered Crete around 67 BC. Gortyn became the capital of the Roman province of Crete. It was one of the first towns to welcome Christianity.
During the Byzantine period Crete became an important center for Christianity. From 824AD to 961AD, Saracens seized the island and from 1204 Crete was taken over by the Venetians until 1669 when it fell to the Ottoman Turks after a 22-year siege. Crete regained its autonomy in 1897 and was united with Greece in 1913. Its troubles were not over as it suffered under Nazi seizure in World War II.
Travel guide to Crete
Crete History
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