Part of the Bronze Age, the Minoan civilization began approximately around the 27th century BC. The written language of the Minoans has been defined as 'Linear A scripts', and still yet, has not been deciphered. The civilization was dependent on trade as they were island people. The downfall of the Minoans is guessed to be around the 15th century BC.

There is no universally accepted theory on the demise of the Minoans, but several theories include: Volcanic destruction on neighboring islands caused a tsunami, they exceeded the environmental carrying capacity of the island, after the large volcanic activity they were vulnerable for invasion, and they died of disease.