Ancient Crete - Society

Society

The Cretans are formally referred to as Minoans and formed what is considered as a civilized society around 2100 B.C. during the early years of the Bronze Age. Much of what modern historians know about the Minoans comes from Linear B which was discovered at the palace of Knossos. The tablet was translated and contained lists of inventory that is assumed to have been stored in the palace. Since the period when the Mycenaeans first inhabited the island of Crete they were ruled by a monarchy. The central or capital city of Crete appears to have been located at Knossos and remained there throughout the entire existence of ancient Cretan society. It is unclear as to what type of taxes were paid by the surrounding villagers to the crown, yet it is most likely that these people paid in tribute by providing goods and manufactured products. As stated earlier in the article the Mycenaeans did participate heavily in Mediterranean trade. Though many resources were available for the Mycenaeans on the island of Crete, there was always a constant demand for olive oil and grain (such as wheat) which were found inland on nearby Greece.