Known by the Greeks as 'Megalónisos, ' or the 'Great Island, ' the
island of Crete has a long and varied history. Steeped in historical and
cultural heritage, Crete is the most visited of the Greek islands. It
has also been of paramount strategic importance for thousands of years,
thanks to its location close to the junction of three continents and at
the heart of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. For much of its long
history, the island has been ruled by foreign invaders. Under the rule
of the Mycenaeans, Dorians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Venetians,
Ottoman Turks and, briefly, the Third Reich, Cretans, who are fierce
lovers of freedom, have adapted to living with their conquerors and to
the influence of foreign rule on their culture. In a dazzling contrast
to these three thousand years of domination, we see two periods of the
island's independence: the vibrant apogee of the Minoan civilization and
the brief period of autonomy before union with Greece at the beginning
of the twentieth century.
To guide us through this spectacular history, Chris Moorey, who has
lived in Crete for over twenty years, provides an engaging and lively
account of the island spanning from the Stone Age to the present day. A
History of Crete steps in to fill a gap in scholarship on this
fascinating island, providing the first complete history of Crete to be
published for over twenty years, and the first ever that is written with
a wide readership in mind.
