The Island of Crete and Minosian culture (To the end of the1st millennium BCe)

Crete Island, the largest of the Aegean Islands, has a surface area of 8400 km and is 250 km long and 58 km wide, and has a mountainous and rugged structure. The livelihood of the Crete Island, which has a mountainous and rugged terrain due to its geographical location, has generally been maritime trade. Among these mountains, there are the White Mountains in the west, Mount Ida, the center of worship, in the middle and Mount Dikta in the east. In this study, the geographical features, livelihoods and cultural interactions of Crete Island were studied. In our first part, we conducted a brief research on the first settlements of the Crete Island in the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, in line with archaeological data. In particular, all information about the Neolithic Period is based on archaeological data, and comprehensive information cannot be obtained. In other periods, comprehensive information, especially about the Bronze Age, could be obtained through excavations and myths. In the second part, the commercial and social relations of the Minoan people with Mesopotamia, Egypt, Syria, Cyprus and Rhodes Island are focused on. In these relations, mineral exchanges were generally made and emphasis was placed on who came to these lands through whom. In the third part, an in-depth examination of Minoan life and culture was made from a broad perspective, focusing on Minoan art, architecture, religion and language, the cultures that were influenced by it and its effects on future civilizations.