Luxury Crete Holidays Help You Explore an Intriguing History

by Daisy Wilkinson Travel Guides

The largest of all the Greek Islands, Crete is the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea with a rich cultural heritage that it has retained over the years. It also has a fascinating history, which you can explore during your time spent on this Greek island. The fossil footprints left by ancient human relatives more than 5 million years ago were discovered in 2002 by a palaeontologist known as Gerard Gierlinski. Hominids settled on this island during the Palaeolithic age about 1,30,000 years ago. The island was also home to Kephala, Magasa, Trapeza and other Neolithic settlements.

Your luxury Crete holidays would not only allow you to enjoy your time on the island with great comforts but also give you the chance to visit popular attractions like Heraklion Archaeological Museum, which provides some interesting insights into the region's ancient history. It was once the centre of the first advanced civilisation of Europe, the Minoan Civilisation. Oral traditions passed on through poets, such as Homer, are complete with legends of mythical kings like Minos and Theseus. A script called Linear A, which has not yet been deciphered, was also used during this civilisation, which existed from 2,700 to 1,420 BC.

A visit to the Palace of Knossos during your Crete holidays would give you an idea about the Mycenaean kings who took over the Minoan rulers during 1,420 BC. Greeks from the mainland settled on the island after the collapse of the Bronze Age. During the rule of Greeks over the island, the contact of its residents with mainland Greece was very limited and was free from any warfare. The Gortyn legal code dating back to the 5th century BC is the evidence of a balance between civil rights and aristocratic power that was established with the help of codified civil law.

While on your visit to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum during Crete holidays, you’ll also get to browse the sculptures from Greco-Roman periods. As a result of a three-year campaign under a politically influential member of the Roman Empire called Quintus Caecilius Metellus, the Romans conquered Crete in the year 69 BC. Under the rule of the Roman Empire, the island achieved great prosperity and increased connectivity with other provinces. Crete remained a province during the times of Byzantine rule. The island was subject to attacks from various forces, such as Vandals, Slavs, and Arabs in the centuries that followed. Crete was ruled shortly by the Andalusian Muladis but was recaptured by the Byzantines.

During your holiday on the island, you can also find some Ottoman influences, such as the Kara Musa Pasha mosque located in Rethymno. The Ottomans had conquered the island in the year 1669 and many of the locals fled to other regions following the takeover. Crete was yielded to Egypt by the Ottoman Sultan but was soon returned to the empire in 1840. An independent Cretan state was established towards the end of the 19th century as a result of several uprisings against the Ottoman rule. The international community eventually recognised the island as a part of Greece in 1913.

Your luxury Crete holidays also give you the chance to visit some charming beaches and indulge in exciting outdoor activities.