Page 245 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Greek Islands

A couple wandering down a back street in Réthymno’s Old Town

CRETE

For nearly 3,000 years the ruins of an ancient
Minoan civilization lay buried and forgotten
beneath the coastal plains of Crete. It was not
until the early 20th century that the remains of
great Minoan palaces at Knosós, Phaestos, Mália
and Zákros were unearthed. Their magnificence
demonstrates the level of sophistication and
artistic imagination of the Minoan civilization,
now considered the wellspring of European
culture. The Romans brought their administrative
expertise to the island, and the ancient city-state
of Górtys became capital of the Roman province of
Crete in 65 BC. Byzantine rule was followed by the
Venetians, who built formidable fortresses, such
as Frangokástello, and elegant buildings in cities,
such as those found in Réthymno and Haniá. The
Venetians were defeated by the Ottomans, who
ruled Crete until 1913, when, led by revered
statesman Elefthérios Venizélos (1864–1936),
Crete became a part of unified Greece. The island
was again occupied in World War II by German
forces, but these invaders were fiercely resisted
by the local populace until they were eventually
defeated by the Allied army. Through all these long
occupations, Cretan identity and pride remained
strong, and today many cultural traditions,
including costume, continue across the island.
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