Crete

The palace of Knossos, in Crete

History
Crete wasn't a city of the Ancient Greece, it was  an island, specifically the biggest island of the Aegean sea. But it can be considered a greek civilization because beside being next to Greece, all Greece, especially Mykenae reiceved the influence of Crete. Crete was even before Mykenae.
The creteans didn't do worship to the Olympian gods even though their gods can be considered the precedents of the Olympian gods.
Crete was so important that even had trade relations with Egypt, which was one of the most advanced countries.

Cretan ceramic

The capital of this empire was and island Heraklion was heavily populated in relation to the then populations would form the city-states of ancient Greece. In Minoan art ( the art of Crete) are the frescoes but also very important ceramics. ceramics, which was adorned with drawings of spirals, triangles, fish shapes , etc.
By 1700 a. C. the palaces were destroyed: there are indications that an earthquake affected significantly to Crete.
Some theories talk of a possible invasion by the Hittites from Anatolia (modern Turkey). However it was not a fatal blow, rebuilding the palaces and beginning the period of greatest growth of civilization.
When Crete was living its heyday, the Minoan civilization collapsed again, this time forever. The palaces were again destroyed by unknown reasons. After the destruction, the Mycenaeans occupied the island.








Location

The red star marks the location of Crete, as you can see Crete is a fairly large island located in the Aegean Sea, this island is near to others islands such as Santorini.















Special Mythology
The birth of the minotaur

The birth of the Minotaur was the result of the relationship between a beautiful white bull and Pasiphae. There are several versions about the insult that caused Minos's wife, Pasiphae, had the need to unite the bull of Crete. The most popular version says that Minos, son of Zeus and Europa, asked the god Poseidon support to succeed Cretan King Asterion before his brothers Rhadamanthus and Sarpedon and be recognized as such by the Cretans. Ploseidon istened and made out of the sea a beautiful white bull, which Minos promised to sacrifice on his behalf. However, Minos be amazed by the qualities of beautiful white bull, he hid from his flock and sacrificed another bull in place waiting for the god of the ocean would not notice the change. Knowing this Poseidon was angry, and revenge, inspired by a desire so strange Pasífae as uncontrollable by the beautiful white bull to Minos kept to himself.

To consummate their union with the bull, Pasiphae required the help of Daedalus, who built a wooden cow covered with cowhide real so that she gets inside. The bull lay with her, thinking it was a real cow. From this union was born the Minotaur, called Asterion.





Video
The Minoans: The civilization of Crete

Links
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creta
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilizaci%C3%B3n_minoica
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotauro