About me

I was a Bronze Age culture which was centered on the island of Crete. Known for my monumental architecture and energetic art, I am often regarded as the first civilization in Europe. My ruins of the Minoan palaces at Knossos and Phaistos are popular tourist attractions.

I developed from the local Neolithic culture around 3100 BC, with complex urban settlements beginning around 2000 BC. After c. 1450 BC, I came under the cultural and perhaps political domination of the mainland Mycenaean Greeks, forming a hybrid culture which lasted until around 1100 BC. Not fun!

My art included elaborately decorated pottery, seals, figurines, and colorful frescoes. Typical subjects include nature and ritual. My art is often described as having a fantastical or ecstatic quality, with figures rendered in a manner suggesting motion.

Email me at thatdangphil at gmail if you must.