Minoan Culture ( c. 2200 B.C - 1450 B.C )

             The First European civilization began with the Minoans on the island of Crete. The Minoans were named after a character from Greek mythology named King Minos. The name Minos may also have been a title for their leaders similar to "Pharaoh" in Egypt.

             The Minoans build their towns on the coast where there was rich farm land. They traveled by sea and traded their pottery and other goods with Egypt, Syria, and the southern islands of the Aegean. The largest palace was built and rebuilt in their capital city, Knossos.

            It appears they believed in life after death, as the dead were buried with possessions to take to the afterlife. They developed an early Greek alphabet known as "Linear A" They were a hedonistic (pleasure-seeking) culture. Many paintings portray festivals including some depicting "bull-leaping." Apparently the culture anded from a combination of volcanic activity and attack from the Myceneans