Minoans & Mycenaeans (3000-1100 BC)

European civilization began on Crete. From around 2700 BC, the Minoan culture developed there — named after the mythical King Minos, who supposedly kept the Minotaur in a labyrinth. The Minoans built vast palace complexes like Knossos, Phaistos, and Malia, considered the first European cities. They developed two writing systems (Linear A and B), traded throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and created an elaborate culture with frescoes that still astonish today.

What exactly destroyed the Minoan civilization around 1450 BC is disputed. The volcanic eruption of Santorini (Thera) around 1600 BC — one of the most massive in human history — literally blew the island into the air and is often discussed as the origin of the Atlantis legend. Whether the eruption directly or through tsunamis and climate changes led to the end of the Minoans is the subject of lively research.

Meanwhile, the Mycenaeans rose on the mainland (ca. 1600-1100 BC). Their massive fortress complexes in Mycenae, Tiryns, and Pylos with the famous cyclopean walls still impress today. The Lion Gate of Mycenae (ca. 1250 BC) is the oldest monumental sculpture in Europe. Heinrich Schliemann excavated the golden Mask of Agamemnon in 1876 — whether it truly belonged to the legendary king is doubtful, but it is one of the most iconic archaeological finds ever.

The Mycenaean civilization collapsed around 1100 BC — the reasons are unclear (Sea Peoples? Earthquakes? Drought?). This was followed by the Dark Ages (ca. 1100-800 BC), a phase of decline from which classical Greece eventually emerged.