The Documented History Of The Greek Island Of Crete
Todays article will discuss the known history of the greek island of Crete. Crete is approximately 52.33 Nautical/Marine miles from mainland Greece. It is also approximately 96.98 miles from mainland Turkey. The formating for this article will be slightly different. We hope that this does not cause any navigational issues or confusion. It is currently owned by the country of Greece. Crete has a total of 24 municipalities. It has 4 regional units which are known as Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, & Lasithi. As of 2023 there are a total of 5 cities on Crete. Crete is an island that exists in the eastern Mediterranean region. It is the largest island owned by Greece. It is also the 5th largest island in the Mediterranean sea. Crete’s history is incredibly interesting due to the many groups of people that have lived on the island. Also due to the fact that it was colonized during certain eras in which many large historical events went on. Crete was also the center of many ancient civilizations. It has a long winding history from war to war & has many different & interesting relationships with different historical city states. It is also incredibly well documented. Different governments of Greece have caused many different things to become of Crete. There are also many marine mythological creatures that are rumoured to have been located here. In this article we will discuss the discoveries & documented history of Crete as a whole, The known aboriginals of Crete, the most destructive man caused & natural disasters of Crete, & finally a segment on the Cretian economy. With that being said, let us delve into the isle of Crete.
The Documented History Of Crete
Before Colonization By The Ottoman Empire & Greece As A Unified Nation
Prehistoric Age / Neolithic Age
A claim was made in 2002 by the palaeontologist known as Gerard Gierlinski that the fossil footprints on crete were from 5.6 million years ago. He claims that they were made by early human ancestors. However this claim has yet to be fully confirmed. Excavation throughout the 2000’s have found stone tools that were approximately 130,000 years old. This would put it at 127,991 B.C. This would also put it in the period of time known as the lower Paleolithic. This lead to a reorganization of many timelines due to the previous thought that the first crossing of the Mediterranean was in approximately 12,000 B.C. These stone tools were found in the region of Crete known as Plakias. These tools were mostly hand axes that were made in the Acheulean Type. They were made of a kind of quartz. After this point there were 2 settlements built on Crete. There settlements were most likely from Africans who used rafts to sail into the Mediterranean. The settlements were called Knossos & Trapeza. There are also archeological records that depict houses, palaces, roads, paintings, & other forms of art. However, we have no way of checking whether these records are correct or not. These settlements were not constantly in use & would sometimes go years without a having people in them. Colonization was not continuous. The first settlers introduced numerous species as the growing civilization required food & resources. These were mostly goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, dogs & legumes. As the civilization grew, they began slowly forcing species to extinction or to migrate. Before the first settlements, species such as Paleoloxodon chaniensis (pygmy elephant) & the Martes Foina (beech martin) roamed the island. However most of these prehistoric animals that were found on Crete, were forced into total extinction by the last ice age. This same chain of events also occurred on many other Mediterranean islands, most notoriously Sicily. The remains of a bronze palace in the settlement of Knossos date back to the 7th Millennium B.C. Surprisingly, Knossos to this day remains the only aceramic site of Crete.
After Colonization
The Minoan Crete
The Minoans were a bronze age civilization of the Aeagan sea. Especially Crete. They began in approximately 3500 B.C. They built complex structures & were urbanizing the islands of the Aeagan sea rather fast. The majority of these structures & civilizations that they built were after 2000 B.C. However, they began on a decline in about 1450 B.C. This was until 1100 B.C were they finally ended as a group & would never come back. They had 2 scripts for the purpose of writing, these scirpts were known as Linear A & the second one did not have a name. The second one looked quite similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Minoans most likely got the idea for the second language from the Egyptians, or there was at least some sort of inspiration between the 2. We have discovered clay tablets in which they would inscribe Linear A. These tablets have primarily been found on Crete however they have also been found on a few other Aeagan isles. The name Minoan derives from the legendary king known as King Minos. It is not clear the government system that they had in place. They did have arts & had distinction pottery styles. They also enjoyed having largely embellished palaces. This can be seen as a palace-complex has been uncovered in Knossos which is one of the oldest & most well preserved Minoan sites. These palaces have also been found at palaces such as Phaistos. These were incredibly intricate for the time & were often multi-story. They would also have drainage systems. The queen of this civilization also had a bath & a flushing toilet. Their religious & government systems were relatively unknown has they did not write very much down. The Minoans faced many earthquakes & different natural disasters. This caused many different issues for the developing civilization. Their downfall has been linked to an eruption of the volcano that was so bad, they it blew the island of Thera completely apart. From this they faced tsunamis & earthquakes as well as other air related side effects.
The Roman Crete
Marcus Antonius Creteus attacked the island of Crete in 71 B.C & was repelled. Then in 69 BC, Rome commissioned Quintus Caecilius Metellus &, following a ferocious three-year campaign, Crete was conquered for Rome in 66 BC. This was after it became a senatorial province of the roman empire in 67 B.C. Metellus earning the victorious title of "Creticus" as an honour for his conquest and subjugation of Crete. After this point it was known It was known as Crete & Cyrenaica. It is today part of modern Greece & Libya. Its capital of this province was named named Gortyn. This capital would have been in the area around the modern day archeological site known basilica. Basilica was a large, multi-story building that was used by the romans for various purposes. As the roman empire expanded, the church finally began in the 1st century. Something that was revealed in Epistle To Titus which was one of the 3 pastoral epistles, is that the people of Crete were always considered liars, evil Beasts, & gluttons. It was unfortunately disestablished as a province in the western roman empire in 297 A.D. However it remained part of the eastern Roman Empire until it became property of the Liberian muslims in the 820’s.
Arab / Liberian Crete
In the 820’s, the Liberians took Crete from the eastern roman empire. They than established the island as a emirate. The archbishop known as Cyril of Gortyn was murdered by these Liberians. They destroyed the city & made sure that it would never be recognized again. The city was never reorganized & therefore never reoccupied. They built a new capital known as Candia which would be near modern day Heraklion. After this point it became the center for muslim culture & a head point for many years. Campaigns from the eastern roman empire to recover the island came but however almost none of them moved past the tactical planning stage. However, in the year of 961 A.D when Nikephoros Phokas conquered Crete. They held the island until 1204 during the 4th Crusade. After this the island was disputed between the Genoese & the Venetians.
The Venetian Crete
Crete was captured by the Venatians during the 4th Crusade. At this point the Crete were known as the Kingdom Of Candia. It officially became known as an overseas colony of the Republic of Venice. The Cretans were clearly not very fond of this as many rebellions broke out. The most important of which is known as the revolt of Saint Titus. This revolt occurred in 1363. It was caused by Cretan aboriginals & venetian settlers on Crete being exasperated by the draconian tax policy. These groups of people banded together & overthrew the Venetian officials. They then became an independent republic. However this did not last for long as after 5 years it was recaptured by the Venetians. After this period of rebellion the new era of renaissance in art & culture finally made its way to the island. Literature flourished on the island & many greek poets emerged. A quite famous epic romantic poem that can be traced to this age is known as Erotokritos by Vitsentzos Kornaros. A dialect of greek was also formed, this dialect would only be spoken by Crete. Painting also became much more popular & many prominent greek painters can be traced to being born on Crete at this time. This may have influenced the way that they worked. However, the ottomans would go on to capture Crete in 1669.
The Ottoman Crete
The ottoman empire captured Crete during the Cretan war which lasted from 1645 to 1669. This was possibly the longest siege in history. They overran Crete & managed to kick out most Venetians & the Venetian government. The last Venetian outpost which was known as Spinalonga, was captured in 1718. Crete remained in the clutches of the ottoman empire until 1861. There was a diversity of religion due to the different types of settlers on the island. It was also at this point where the Muslim religion became more widely spread. During the the last Ottoman census in 1881, it was found that Christians were 76% of the population, & astoundingly Cretan Turks made up only 24%. Christians were over 90% of the population in 19 out of the 23 of the districts of Crete. However, Muslims were over 60% of the population in the three large towns on the north coast, & in Monofatsi. When the greek war of independence happened in 1821, the christian Cretans saw an opportunity for freedom. The christians began revolting, this was met with fierce resistance from the ottoman turks. The ottomans executed several bishops due to the conflict. The Turkish Muslims were driven into the large fortified towns on the northern coast & it appears from our current records that as many as 60% of them died from plague or famine while there. These towns were mainly constructed by the ottoman turks. The christian Cretans also suffered severely with the result of losing approximately 21% of their population in the 1830s.
The Most Destructive Man Caused & Natural Disasters Of Crete
No.1 365 Cretan Earthquake
The 365 earthquake was an earthquake that occurred on July 21st 365 A.D. It occurred in the eastern Mediterranean. This earthquake nearly blew the island of Crete as we know it apart. Unfortunately we don’t have an exact measurement, however it is estimated that it was at a magnitude of 8.5 or higher. This earthquake also triggered a quite large tsunami. The exact number is not record however thousands of deaths occurred a as a direct result of this earthquake.
No.2 Various Annual Flashfloods
Crete has annual flash floods every year quite predictably. In 2022 they caused 2 deaths & they are destined to cause more. They don’t often cause mudslides. The areas that flood most often are coastal canyons. Coastal areas in general are also more susceptible to flash flooding. Areas with rivers also count a costal areas.
The Economic State Of Crete
The economic state of Crete is extremely stable & does not seem to have taken a large negative impact due to the pandemic. Its main industries are manufacturing & tourism. Unlike other Mediterranean islands, Crete can still independently operate & function without its tourism industry. The manufacturing industry however has recently been on a slow & small decline. The tourism industry became most prominent in the 1970’s & Crete has been the same ever sense. The tourism industry has been slowly expanding & growing throughout the island as well. Tourism is so prominent that Crete receives approximately 3 million tourists per year. Agriculture is also prominent however is significantly smaller industry compared to the other 2 major ones. Some common crops & exports from Crete are: wine, raisins, grapes, citrus fruits, water lemons, tomatoes, & potatoes. Processing & packaging also make up a large portion of their income. They are incredibly self sustainable. The island also had a higher GDP per capita then mainland Greece. The current inflation rate for Crete is unknown. The GDP per capita on the island in 2015 was 13,912.
Directories / Credits
Margaritis, Giorgos (2006). Ιστορία του ελληνικού εμφυλίου πολέμου 1946-1949 [History of the Greek Civil War 1946-1949] (in Greek). Vol. II. Athens: Vivliorama. ISBN 9608087139.
Moorey, Chris. A History of Crete (Haus, 2019)
Detorakis, Theocharis E. (1986). Ιστορία της Κρήτης [History of Crete] (in Greek). Athens. OCLC 715204595.
Panagiotakis, Nikolaos M. (1987). "Εισαγωγικό Σημείωμα ("Introduction")". In Panagiotakis, Nikolaos M. (ed.). Crete, History and Civilization (in Greek). Vol. I. Vikelea Library, Association of Regional Associations of Regional Municipalities. pp. XI–XX.
Marie-Louise Winbladh, Minoans and Mycenaeans in west Crete. The Greek-Swedish Excavations at Chaniá, Stockholm 2000.
Marie-Louise Winbladh, Adventures of an archaeologist. Memoirs of a museum curator, AKAKIA Publications, London 2020
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