Fourth century–1204
Byzantine Crete
Crete formed part of the eastern Roman world but experienced major political changes during the Middle Ages. An Andalusian Arab force captured…
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Crete
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1541–c. 1567 (Cretan years)
El Greco and the Cretan School of Candia
Before he became El Greco in Spain, Domenikos Theotokopoulos trained as an icon painter in Venetian-ruled Candia, today's Heraklion. By 1563 he…
Read story →Prime minister from 1910 in several periods
Eleftherios Venizelos and the Reform of Greece
Eleftherios Venizelos became prime minister of Greece in 1910 after rising to prominence in Cretan politics. His governments introduced constitutional, administrative, educational…
Read story →Main occupation c. 1700–1450 BC
Gournia: Everyday Life in a Minoan Town
Gournia in eastern Crete is one of the best-preserved Minoan towns. Its dense network of streets, houses, workshops and central buildings provides…
Read story →Founded 1883
Heraklion Archaeological Museum: The Home of Minoan Crete
The Heraklion Archaeological Museum began in 1883 as a small local collection kept in two rooms. It grew with the great Cretan…
Read story →c. 1800–1450 BC
Linear A: The Undeciphered Script of Crete
Linear A was used mainly on Crete during the second millennium BC. It appears on tablets, sealings, vessels and ritual objects and…
Read story →c. 1450–1200 BC
Linear B: The Earliest Written Greek
Linear B was used by Mycenaean administrators to write an early form of Greek. The script was adapted from the still-undeciphered Linear…
Read story →Main palatial phases c. 1900–1450 BC
Malia and the Minoan Palace Economy
The palace and town of Malia on Crete's north coast formed one of the largest Minoan centres. Archaeology documents storage, craft production,…
Read story →c. 1700–1400 BC
Minoan Frescoes: Colour, Movement and Ceremony
Minoan wall paintings decorated palaces and important buildings with processions, nature scenes, animals and ceremonial activity. Many famous images are modern restorations…
Read story →1883–1957
Nikos Kazantzakis and Crete
Nikos Kazantzakis was born in Heraklion in 1883, when Crete was still under Ottoman rule. The island's history and people run through…
Read story →Medieval–early nineteenth centuries
Piracy in the Aegean
Piracy affected Aegean communities throughout the medieval and early modern periods. Pirates attacked ships, captured people, raided settlements and sometimes operated with…
Read story →Fortress 1579; leper colony 1904–1957
Spinalonga: Venetian Fortress and Leper Colony
The islet of Spinalonga, in the bay of Elounda, was fortified by Venice in the late 16th century and later became a…
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