Smaller ports are in Réthymno and Áyios Nikólaos. Crete Greece is the biggest island in Greece and one of the biggest islands in the Mediterranean. Most of that produce is exported. Religion played an important role in Minoan Crete and many activities, and artistic products revolved around religious cult. Save 30% off a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The complexity of these palaces, the sport of bull-leaping, the worship of bulls as indicated by the presence throughout of sacred bulls' horns and depictions of double axes (or labrys) all probably gave rise to the legend from Greek mythology of King Minos, ruler of Knossos, and the Athenian hero Theseus who killed the minotaur which dwelt in the labyrinth of the same city. The Minoans drove chariots and held festivals and rituals. (8380 sq. The population consists almost entirely of Cretans who speak Greek and belong to the Greek Orthodox Church. Crete is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean and the largest of the islands forming part of modern Greece. Crete definition, a Greek island in the Mediterranean, southeast of mainland Greece. The civilization of An… The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. "Ancient Crete." This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. In addition to vegetables and fruits, the island produces nuts, herbs, and honey, and for decades Cretans have prospered by using plastic hothouses to grow vegetables and flowers for the winter market in Europe. With the succession of Augustus, though, Crete was officially incorporated into the Roman empire. The island's prosperity based on sea trade is attested not only by its monumental architecture but also a flourishing of the arts as best seen in Minoan frescoes, ceramics, jewellery, and figurines. We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. As with the classic polis model of the Greek mainland, a landed citizenry made up an armed force of hoplites when required and the population as a whole was ruled by an aristocracy which presided over a popular assembly of government. 3,235 sq. km). This is a land of gods and heroes. Its relation to the so-called hieroglyphic Minoan script is uncertain. See more. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ritual celebrations usually took place in sacred caves, on sanctuaries on mountain peaks, and in the palaces and villas which all had their own sanctuaries. Precipitation in that region is much higher than elsewhere on the island, and the mountains are often covered with snow in the winter (November to May), which may remain on the highest peaks throughout much of the year. Stock breeding of sheep and goats is widespread, providing the island’s greatly esteemed yogurt as well as edible meat. The history of Crete goes back to the 7th millennium BC, preceding the ancient Minoan civilization by more than four millennia. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the Publishing Director at AHE. Palace of Maliaby Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA). Traditional tribal leaders and noble families would have monopolised public positions, including those related to religious activities which followed the polytheistic pantheon and practices of the Greek mainland. Crete is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean and the largest of the islands forming part of modern Greece. The island continued to prosper throughout this period until the Byzantine era when it faced repeated Arab raids and, ultimately, full conquest c. 827 CE. The island today has many archaeological sites of note which include Knossos, Phaistos, and Gortyn, all with significant architectural remains as compelling evidence of Crete's long and varied history. Ancient History Encyclopedia. The palace based Minoan civilization was the first civilization in Europe. Entrance to the Ídiean cave in Ídi mountain, Crete, Greece. Hundreds of migratory bird species visit Crete, and there are some small wild animals. However, this did not stop the continued civil war between rival cities which rumbled on throughout the 2nd century BCE. After the Minoan civilization was devastated by the Thera eruption, Crete developed an Ancient Greece-influenced organization of city states, then successively became part of the Roman Empire, the … A second wave of earthquakes and destructive fires occurred between 1500 BCE and 1450 BCE which seems to have definitively ended the Minoan presence on Crete. General Editor. Legal texts, the most famous and longest being the law code of Gortyn (c. 450 BCE), show that Cretan cities were composed of various classes of peoples including slaves and foreigners, and had a concern for justice, especially in the fields of family and property law. The Linear A script, as yet undeciphered, is another indicator of a sophisticated political and trading culture. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. gREECE HIGH DEFINITION. The island of Crete is located in the center of the eastern Mediterranean at the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Although many of the pieces being preserved are just fragments, there exist some whole artifacts. tion (sĭv′ə-lĭ-zā′shən) n. 1. The island's prosperity based on sea trade is attested not only by its monumental architecture but also a flourishing of the arts. The arrival of new peoples, new technologies and new ideas transformed the small pre-existing neolithic communities over a period of hundreds of years. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 02 Feb 2017. The gradually sloping northern coast provides several natural harbours and coastal plains, where such major towns as Chaniá (Khaniá; historically Canea), Réthymno (Réthimnon; historically Rhithymna), and Irákleio are located. Despite its inefficient agriculture, Crete is one of Greece’s leading regions for producing olives and olive oil, grapes, vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and zucchini), fruits (oranges), and carob beans (the flour made from which is used in a variety of foods). The administrative centre is Irákleio (Heraklion; historically Candia), on the north coast. Ferries operate between Crete and mainland Greece as well as other islands in the Aegean. The shimmering turquoise waters and lost worlds of the Aegean await you. When the Roman Empire split into two, Crete was made part of the Eastern empire although the Christian church was under the jurisdiction of the Pope at Thessaloniki. Unlike mainland Greece where women stayed indoors, Minoan women were energetic nature lovers. To start with, Crete beaches are out of this world. From the 3rd to 1st century BCE, the formation of a Cretan Federation seems to have done little in arresting the island's general decline into relative obscurity. They cultivated crops of grain, herbs, olives and fruit. Prominent settlers included veterans from the legions, traders, and Jews in what became a thriving Roman province with its governor residing at Gortyn. The Mycenaean civilization (c. 1700-1100 BCE) flourished in the Late Bronze Age, reaching its peak from the 15th to the 13th century BCE when it extended its influence not only throughout the Peloponnese in Greece but also across the Aegean, in particular, on Crete and the Cycladic islands. (8,380 sq. A succinct account of the prehistoric archaeology of the island is given in Burrows, The Discoveries in Crete, and Bailkie, The Sea Kings of Crete. The Minoan civilization of Crete … km). Crete, thereafter, became something of a pawn in wider Roman regional politics as the Republic went through its death throes. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. Updates? levied taxes on their hinterlands and appropriated a portion of their agricultural surplus to support the urban population. What is the world’s largest archipelago? Written by Mark Cartwright, published on 02 February 2017 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. It was located on the island of Crete, which is now a part of Greece. The air in the mountains is temperate and cool. Cite This Work Some Rights Reserved (2009-2021) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Grote, Holm, and Mommsen. In 36 BCE, for example, Mark Antony gave the island to Cleopatra as a gift. By 1200 BCE many of the Minoan settlements had been abandoned. Animal and bloodless sacrifices, along with processions were part … A selection matching location, service, design, comfort, facilities, for cosy holliday on the island ... series of 34 boutique hotels currently operated under the flag of one of the most eminent players in the boutique hotel world today, ... Other focus on mixing history, cultures, periods,. The glories of Crete’s Minoan past remained hidden until British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans made his dramatic discoveries at Knossos in the early 1900s. Only about one-third of Crete’s total area can be cultivated, and its farmers have traditionally worked small patches of land with little help from mechanization. These structures were two or three stories high, spread over several thousand square metres, and decorated with fine frescoes. Tourism has replaced agriculture as the economic mainstay of the island and contributes a large proportion of the gross domestic product. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Crete’s industry is largely confined to food-processing equipment (grape and olive presses), building materials (quarried stone and marble, processed lime, and building blocks), and a few ceramics, textiles, soap, leather, and beverage-bottling enterprises. It measures about 200 Km from east to west, and between 12 to 58 Km from north to south at its narrowest and widest distances, making it one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean sea. Prehistory, the vast period of time before written records or human documentation, includes the Neolithic Revolution, Neanderthals and Denisovans, Stonehenge, the Ice Age and more. 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