Minoan and Hellenistic Crete
The island of Crete is situated in a unique spot in the eastern Mediterranean. A little over four hundred miles from Alexandria, Egypt and 200 miles from Argos in mainland Greece, it is not evenly spaced between the two cultures, but it was still a crosswords between them until the Mycenaean and then later the Dorian Greeks began to dominate it. What we know for certain about the Minoans is based largely on archaeological finds as well as a few legendary references from Greek writings and works of art found on Crete and the Aegean islands. So what was the process of transition from one culture to the next, and how long did it take? That is the subject of much speculation over the ages. Besides the archaeology and paintings, there are literary sources that can be drawn upon for a few crumbs of information as well. The times that Crete shows up in ancient literature are few. Homer, Aristotle, Strabo, Herodotus, the Linear A and B writings found on Crete are sources of this information; a...