The Aegean or Cretan civilization is considered

the first great European civilization and was

located on the island of Crete, in southern Greece,
during the Bronze Age between 3,000 and 1100
B.C. This civilization is also known as the Minoan
civilization and owes its name to the mythological
king Minos who, according to legend, was king of
Crete.

During its heyday, the Cretan civilization was noted for its commercial and shipping
power. The island of Crete was considered the most important political and cultural
center of the Aegean Sea, as it was located in a strategic geographical point with
connections to Europe, Asia and Africa.

In addition, these peoples excelled in art, in branches such as pottery and painting,
and in architecture, with the construction of palaces such as the one at Knossos.
These pieces and constructions were
used by archaeologists and
researchers to know the history and
characteristics of the Minoan
civilization, because the written
records that exist of this culture still
could not be deciphered.
- Religion:
Like many other peoples of antiquity, the Cretan civilization was
characterized by polytheism. The Cretans worshipped several gods and were
naturalists, that is, their gods came from or were related to nature.

They worshipped the mother goddess of nature, who was a symbol of

fertility and was represented by a female figure who was usually
accompanied by animals such as snakes and birds.

All that is known about the religion of this civilization was obtained through
the objects, art and buildings found. It is
believed that the Cretans worshipped their
gods both privately and publicly and for that
they made offerings consisting of different
dances, processions and rituals of animal
sacrifice.

For this civilization, the figure of the bull, which was a symbol of life and
strength, was of great importance. In many of the cult ceremonies a
bullfighting game was performed, which consisted of one of the acrobats
throwing himself on a bull that he had previously provoked.

- Language:

The Minoan language is the language that was spoken on Crete in the Bronze
Age between approximately 2500 and 1450 BC, when the Minoan civilization
flourished, and which was recorded in the syllabic writing systems known as
Cretan hieroglyphic and Linear A.

One of the best known legends in this ethnic group is the legend of the
Minotaur or the myth of the Minotaur which is based on the fact that the
Minotaur was a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull. The
myth has its most complete version in the mythological Library of
Apollodorus. The Minotaur was the son of Pasiphae, wife of King Minos of
 Crete, and a white bull sent by Poseidon, god of the sea. This Minotaur was
conceived by the deception of Minos to Poseidon, this bull fed on human
flesh, every year 14 young Athenians were sacrificed to feed him, Theseus
and Adriadna offered themselves as victims, Adriadna the daughter of
Minos fell in love, and managed to kill the Minotaur and get out alive from
the labyrinth in which they had locked the Minotaur.
It is one of the most emblematic legends or myths.

- Gastronomy:

It’s most traditional dishes and flavors, such as cookies, honey and cheese,
Sfakia cakes, herb cakes, feta cheese, boiled snails, staka, stuffed grape
leaves, rabbit casserole, pies, and a very long etcetera.

Coffee is drunk very cold in summer, the so-

called frappé, and on the other hand to
warm up the body, we have the famous raki,
a grape and anise liqueur, very similar to
ouzo, and which is constantly offered by the
Cretans as a symbol of kindness, so we
cannot refuse it. Another characteristic
drink is retsina wine, a white or rosé
resinated wine with more than 2 thousand years of history.

Living up to its reputation of being a very independent island, Crete provides

its population with fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and seafood.
It is an unsophisticated cuisine, but rich in nutrients and intense flavor.
For example, fish is often served fried and
seasoned with lemon. We can also enjoy
graviera cheese (a type of gruyere) and
myzithra, a white cream cheese served in
many salads instead of feta cheese, which are
specialties of Crete. More familiar may be
souvláki, a kind of kebab with gyros-style
meat served in pita bread.

These are some of the best known dishes in Crete:

Dolmadakia: vine leaves stuffed with rice, served hot or cold.

Achinosalata: sea urchin salad.

Saganak: baked feta cheese.

Skordalia: Garlic sauce.

Taramosalata: Fish roe.

Tsatsiki: Yogurt, garlic and cucumber sauce.

Ochtapodia: octopus cooked with vinegar.

Batsaries: Beetroot.

Gigantes: Large white beans.

Fava: pea puree.

Horta: Wild vegetables served with olive oil and lemon.

Choriatiki: Greek salad.

Patates: French fries.

 Fresh fish is not cheap due to
overfishing in the Mediterranean,
and for this reason it is expensive
in restaurants. It is then more
popular a smaller type of fish, such
as sardines, more affordable and
tasty.

Giemista or Giemistes: tomatoes, eggplants and peppers stuffed with rice.

Briam: baked mixed vegetables, similar to ratatouille.

Vegetable soups.