Another legend says that to avenge the death of his son by the Athenians, King Minos made them send seven young girls and boys to Crete every year, to offer them as a sacrifice to the Minotaur. During an expedition the famous mythical hero Theseus, the son of the King of Athens, left Athens with the young Athenians and, with the help of Ariadne, the daughter of the King Minos, managed to kill the Minotaur and find his way out of the labyrinth.
Ancient Crete is the place where the Minoan civilization, one of the most important civilizations of the world (2600-1150 BC), started.
Huge palace-states were built, such as the famous and superb palaces of Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Vasiliki, Lato and Zakros, and the Minoans established a naval empire in the Mediterranean.
This great civilization was stopped by the huge waves caused by the eruption of the volcano of Santorini Greece (in 1450 BC) and by the invasion of the Achaeans and the Dorians. |
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mosaic floor of the basilicas that were built during these times.
Crete later fell under the domination of the Arabs, in 824, and stayed under it for 137 years.
During those years the city of Heraklion was founded, first called Handak.
During the early byzantine years
there were several churches and structures constructed, such as the Byzantine walls in Kydonia.
In 1204, the Venetians conquered the island of Crete. They fortified the old castles built by the Arabs, built new ones, and founded new fortified cities such as Chania and Rethymno.
The city of Rethymno is the only one that remains intact since the Renaissance, with its beautifully decorated piazzas, its superb fountains and its fine churches and palaces.
During those years, the arts flourished such as painting and literature. The famous painter El Greco (Domenicos Theotocopoulos) started his carrier in this epoch, and other artists and scholars from Constantinople and other parts of the old Byzantine Empire came to Crete. |
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This period, with all of the changes that were prevelent gave birth to one of the most talented writers of Greece, Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957). Today there is the Kazantzakis theater on Heraklion which is located at the park near the New Gate.
Many organizations also cared for the education of people and built schools and libraries. In fact, the library of Rethymnon, established in the 19th century, exists till today.
During World War II Crete played a major role in the war. The resistance that the Germans encountered caught them completely off guard. Eventually all of Crete fell under German occupation.
Many of Crete's residents were executed for their part in the initial resistance against the German invasion. The cities of Chania and Heraklio were heavily bombarded and were in ruins. Reminders of the war can still be seen today. |
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