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.
In both the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer we have Crete mentioned both directly and indirectly through the existence of Idomeneus. Idomeneus was a friend of Meneleus who was the husband of Helen, the woman whose kidnapping started the Trojan War. In book 13 of the Iliad Homer tells the Trojans that by descent he was the grandson of Minos, king of Crete. He was continuously at the side of the leaders of the Achaeans in the thick of battle. According to tradition he would make it to the end of the Trojan war, and like so many of the heroes had suffered several misfortunes. His appearance here implies that he was at least influenced by the Greek culture if not fully Greek himself. What other writers like Herodotus can imply is Idomeneus, at least, had a mixture of Greek and Minoan ancestry.
According to Herodotus (I. 171, 173) in the days of Minos the inhabitants of Crete weren't Greeks. They were akin to other inhabitants of the Aegean islands. It wasn't until after the death of Minos in Sicania (Sicily) where many Cretans went with him and perished, that there was an influx of a large number of Greeks. Sadly the historian does not have much to say about the culture of these people.
Myth and legend do mix with a bit of history. All historians agree with the notion that Crete was in regular communication with the Mycenaean culture of mainland Greece and the northern Aegean. The written evidence on Crete began to show itself around 1450 B.C. with the tablets containing the Linear B script. Linear B is the earliest form of the Greek language that we have examples of. Before the Linear B writings showed up the inhabitants of Crete were using a language and script dubbed Linear A. This syllabic script shared several characteristics with Linear B, but the language being used was clearly not Greek. It was the language used by the pre-Hellenic Greek inhabitants.
Here it is possible that we see where a fusion of myth and linguistic archaeology come together. Whether or not there was a king Minos in Crete, there was a culture present in Crete before the Greeks that was later supplanted by the Mycenaeans. The death of Minos lead to the death of the Minoan culture. Therefore Idomeneus may be a grandson of Minos and descendant of a god, but the story makes it clear that he was at least culturally Hellenized, if not actually Greek. If we place the Trojan War in the traditional time frame historians give that would place it at about 1250 B.C. Which makes the war taking place two centuries after Greek writing first showed up on Crete.
Another event in Aegean history where there is geological and archaeological evidence for is the eruption of the supervolcano on the island of Thera (Santirini). This event took place in the 17th or 16th Century B.C. Before the eruption the inhabitants of Thera were a segment of the Minoan culture. The distance between Thera and Crete is about 88 miles. The culture on Thera was destroyed, followed by disastrous effects on Crete itself. A tsunami would have occurred, followed by a famine devastating the population. The Minoan culture would decline from there. Soon after this event began its effects on the Aegean the Mycenaean Greeks would move in to first interact with the preceding culture and then surpass it.
A final note that goes back to literary sources brings up the story of Atlantis. Many believe that the story of Atlantis and its destruction in a single day relates to the Theran eruption and the death and destruction of those living on that island. By his own words Plato admits that he heard this story from third or fourth hand sources. Since the story is over a thousand years older than him different names and places could have been swapped out. Plato has an exaggerated view on the size of Atlantis and Athens' war with it. With the size of Atlantis he gives it is understandable that he would place it on the other side of the Pillar of Heracles. Despite these overblown parts of the story, what happened with the natural disaster contains that kernel of truth.
This all then comes around to the use of myth, legend, history, and archaeology to come to a conclusion. Many others would have their own ideas about what sources to use to explain the shift from the Minoan dominated Crete and Aegean to that of the Mycenaean. Whether or not there was a King Minos or Idomeneus as the poets say or if we can take Herodotus at face value with his Aegean histories there is a clear pattern that can be followed that explains what happened to Minoan Crete. Before the Theran eruption Crete's native culture dominated, and after that eruption the Mycenaeans gradually gained sway. It is certain that some remnants of non-Greek elements remained on the island as it attested by Strabo's geography, but the Greek elements dominated from the Mycenaean age onward.
This is only a brief glimpse over the evidence leading to these conclusions. There is a lot more out there, but I stuck with some of the major pieces in this case. Any input by others knowledgeable in this area is always welcome.
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