Crete is not only basked in sunshine for 300 days of the year but it is also steeped in some of the most interesting history of an ancient civilization that we know of today.
There was very little known about this civilization until important ruins and artefacts were discovered in Knossos (and elsewhere).
These ancient tribes that inhabited Crete two thousand years before Christ were the Minoans, an ancient civilisation who exploited the beauty and abundant resources that were to be found on this exquisite Meditterranean Island. The Minoans exported timber, wine, currants, olive oil, wool, cloth, herbs and their much favoured purple dye.
They imported many things that were not found on Crete such as copper, other raw materials, gold, silver, ivory and precious stones that they adored so much.
The Minoans adopted many aspects of the different cultures with whom they traded including artistic ideas from ancient Egypt. It is evident that they traded with the Egyptians as well as the Syrians and we can see evidence of this in the wall frescoes and the precious gold artefacts that have been discovered on Crete.
Not much is really known about what happened to finish this wonderful period of Cretan history. We know that the Minoan civilisation was destroyed by a terrible fire that ravaged the island but we do not know how this was started. Many people have theorised as to what actually happened but the truth is that we may never really know what truly happened to this peaceful and beautiful civilisation.
The Minoans were the first European civilisation, they were a peaceful people and they established much of the culture that we know, admire and love about Greece today. They bought so much to the island from far away shores but they traded much of the timber leaving Crete the deforested island that we know today.
Greek culture owes much of the way it has evolved to this ancient civilisation that inhabited the island so long ago. From about the 27th Century BC to the 15th Century BC the Minoans prospered and flourished on Crete in a peaceful environment and they built many Palaces and Temples along with an infrastructure between towns and ports that were established around ancient Crete.
For the visitor who comes to the island today there is so much to see and discover about this ancient civilisation, their buildings, the way they lived and how they developed their culture. Many tourists marvel at the tranquil beauty of historical Crete and the phenomenon of the Minoans. The best way of experiencing this time warp is to hire a car and drive to all the marvellous Minoan sites that can be found around the island. It is truly an awe inspiring experience.
Cretans are and have always been respected amongst the citizens of Greece for the way they choose to live. The first thing to know about them is how brave they are. Their bravery has been proved many times during the hard times of Greece such as the second world war. Cretans were the ones that stopped the endless German troops from reaching Africa, as Crete is the last area of land before Africa.