Visual Timeline: Crete

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7000 BCE 6500 BCE 6000 BCE 5500 BCE 5000 BCE 4500 BCE 4000 BCE 3500 BCE 3000 BCE 2500 BCE 2000 BCE 1500 BCE 1000 BCE 500 BCE 0 CE 500 CE  
 
7000 BCE: First habitation on Crete.
 
6000 BCE: First habitation at Malia.
 
3600 BCE - 3000 BCE: First inhabitation of Phaistos.
 
 
3000 BCE: Stone tombs on Crete.
 
2700 BCE: Olive trees are grown and harvested in Crete. Olive oil is exported.
 
2200 BCE: First monumental architecture at Malia.
 
 
2200 BCE - 1500 BCE: The Minoan Civilization flourishes on Crete, Greece. King Minos establishes the first navy in the region.
 
2000 BCE - 1400 BCE: Phaistos' greatest cultural height.
 
 
2000 BCE - 1700 BCE: First Minoan palace at Phaistos.
 
 
2000 BCE: Pottery wheel introduced to Minoan civilization on Crete.
 
2000 BCE - 1650 BCE: Cretan Hieroglyphic script is in use.
 
 
2000 BCE - 1450 BCE: Minoan civilization in Crete and the Aegean.
 
 
1900 BCE: First Minoan palace at Knossos.
 
1850 BCE - 1450 BCE: The Linear A script of the Minoan civilization is in use.
 
1850 BCE - 1550 BCE: Phaistos disk manufactured on Crete.
 
1700 BCE - 1600 BCE: Second palace at Phaistos.
 
1700 BCE: Second Palace of Knossos on Crete.
 
 
1700 BCE - 1400 BCE: The culture in the Cyclades is increasingly influenced by Minoan Crete.
 
 
1675 BCE - 1450 BCE: Second Minoan palace at Malia.
 
 
1650 BCE - 1550 BCE: Knossos survives Thera eruption.
 
1600 BCE: Phaistos disk manufactured.
 
 
1600 BCE: Rhodes has significant contact with Minoan Crete.
 
 
1500 BCE - 1450 BCE: The 'Harvester Vase' of Minoan origin depicts a sistrum player.
 
 
1450 BCE: Earthquake and fire ends the Minoan period at Malia.
 
 
1450 BCE: Destruction of Minoan palace at Zakros.
 
 
1450 BCE: Mycenaen influence extended to Knossos, Crete.
 
1330 BCE: Abandonment of Zakros settlement.
 
 
750 BCE: The earliest depiction of the tympanon on a bronze disc found in the Idaean Cave in Crete.
 
700 BCE - 600 BCE: Brief resurgence in Phaistos settlement.
 
 
689 BCE: Rhodes and Cretans found Gela in Sicily.
 
580 BCE: Agrigento in Sicily is founded by colonists from Gela, Crete and Rhodes.
 
470 BCE: Gortyn on Crete begins to mint its own coinage.
 
450 BCE: The Law Code of Gortyn is written.
 
220 BCE: Gortyn allies with Knossos to defeat Lyttos on Crete.
 
 
206 BCE - 204 BCE: Crete is at war with Rhodes.
 
189 BCE: Gortyn gives sanctuary to Hannibal.
 
180 BCE: Phaistos conquered by Gortyn.
 
 
155 BCE - 153 BCE: Crete is at war with Rhodes for a second time.
 
 
110 BCE: Rome establishes peace between the warring Cretan cities.
 
 
71 BCE: Rome wages war on the Cretan pirates.
 
 
69 BCE - 67 BCE: Rome wages a second war against the Cretan pirates.
 
 
36 BCE: Mark Antony gives Crete as a gift to Cleopatra.
 
 
27 BCE: Augustus makes Gortyn the capital of the Roman province of Crete & Cyrene.
 
60 CE: An early Christian community is established at Gortyn, Crete.
 
81 CE: Trajan serves as quaestor at Gortyn, Crete.
 
365 CE: Gortyn is destroyed by a devastating earthquake.
 
670 CE: Gortyn is destroyed by earthquake.
 
 
827 CE: Crete is conquered by the Arabs.
 
 
961 CE: The Byzantine Empire reconquers Crete from the Arabs under Nikephoros Phokas, the future Emperor Nikephoros II.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7000 BCE 6000 BCE 5000 BCE 4000 BCE 3000 BCE 2000 BCE 1000 BCE 0 CE