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THE HISTORY OF THE ISLAND
No
remains from the Preneolithic period have been found on Crete. Before the Neolithic
period, people have lived in caves at first and supported themselves by hunting
and fishing, using stone and bone tools, and they must have known how to make
simple clay pots. Later they seem to have developed a primitive agriculture and
started to make clay houses on rock foundations, to tame animals and to decorate
their pottery with different colors and patterns as well as making clay images
of animals.
During the last stages of the Neolithic period ( up to about 2600 BC ) this
highly-developed civilization reached its distinctive peak, known as Minoan Era.
Nothing is known about commerce during the period but it is assumed that there
was trade with the nearby islands and the east . The period from 2000 BC to 1700
BC called the Protopalatial, with the construction of the first palaces at
Knossos, Phaestos and Malia, as a result of the concentration of wealth and
power in the hands of the ruling families in the settlements. The palaces were
destroyed, apparently by earthquakes, in 1700 BC but this did not interrupt the
development of civilization, however. At about this time, a new form of
writing, known as Linear A, made its appearance; it was probably used to record
commercial and administrative matters.
In the so-called Neopalatial period ( 1700 BC- 1400 BC ) the palaces of Knossos,
Phaestos and Malia were rebuilt on a much grander scale; they were advanced even
judged by modern standards. The bulk of Minoan power was centered undoubtedly
around Knossos, but the other sites in central and eastern Crete show evidence
of the wealth and activity of the Minoans. In about 1450 BC a terrible disaster
laid waste all the centers of Minoan Crete.
In about 1100 BC the Dorians - a Greek race- captured the Minoan strongholds one
after and put an end to the Mycenaean state. Crete then came under the sway of
the new rulers and so ended the last Minoan period. With the occupation of Crete
by the Dorians armed with iron weapons, the local population was reduced to
slave status. Part of the population ( called Eteocretans ) sought refuge on the
plateau of Lassithi and in the extreme east of Crete where they kept up the
heritage of the Minoan language until the Hellenistic period. The Dorians on
Crete were especially advanced in maters of legislation, as is shown by the laws
found at Gortys.
The Romans arrived in Crete as mediators and settled in as conquerors. After
three years of sporadic fighting, Crete became a Roman province, with Gortys as
the capital of the island. Under Roman rule, which brought peace ans some
autonomy to the island, Crete enjoyed a period of prosperity, as the many Roman
show. After the division of the Roman Empire into western and eastern sectors,
Crete came under the Byzantine sphere of influence. During this period
Christianity spread and many churches were built on the island.
From AD 824 to 961 Crete was occupied by the Arabs. After a struggle lasting for
many years, Nikiforos Fokas finally succeeded in freeing Crete from the Arabs
and the second Byzantine Period lasted from AD 961- AD 1204. When Byzantium
became a victim of the 4 th Crusade, Crete granted to Boniface II, Count of
Momferato, who then sold it to the Venetians. The Venetian occupation lasted for
450 years. Crete was divided into fiefs which were handed over to Venetian
colonists and entrepreneurs. They named the island and the capital city <
Candia > from the Arab name for the city.
The Turkish attempt to conquer the island started with a pirate raid against the
coastal towns and in 1645 the Turks captured Chania and then Rethymno a year
later, in spite of Venetian resistance. The siege and heroic defense of Candia (Heraklion)
began in 1648 and was to last for 22 years. With bated breath, Europe watched
the longest siege in history. Francesco Morosini led the defense if the island
but had to surrender eventually. The Turks allowed the defenders to leave with
honor and almost the entire Cretan population deserted the city, together with
the foreigners. The Cretans left their island and settled on the Ionian islands
and in Venice and Mani.
Crete was then shared out among the pashas, with the exception of Sfakia which,
although it paid a symbolic tax to the Turks, remained independent and became a
refuge for insurgents and persecuted Cretans. Although relatively few Turks
settled on the island, a great many Christians were forced to become Moslem in
order to survive and many more had to leave the cities for the mountains. Under
these inhuman conditions, nobody had any inclination to work and this in turn
made the terrible position of the local inhabitants even worse while earthquakes
and uprisings destroyed the villages. The first great uprising took place
in1770, led by the Sfakian, Daskalogiannis.
When the Greek Revolution started in 1821, Crete rose too but was shamefull
abandoned by the Great Powers and ceded to the Egyptians, who had been called in
by the Turks to help them. The Turks took over again in 1840, but the Cretans
did not give up and the revolution continued, with its unsparing outpouring of
blood.
The Great Powers finally intervened in 1898 and Crete became independent unter
their guarantee; with a High Commissioner, Prince George. In 1905 the Cretans
rose again, led by Eletherios Venizelos, this time because they wanted union
with Greece. Union finally came in 1913 and so Crete and Greece faced the
consequences of World War I and the catastrophe of Asia Minor.
No sooner had the island begun to recover and even to prosper, than World War II
began. In 1941 Crete was invaded from the air by the select German paratroopers.
Finally Crete manage to set free after 4 years. The last Germans left Crete in
july 1945 and the long-suffering island was free again.
