 The eruption of Thera , which according to archaeological data occurred in c . 1500 BC , resulted in the decline of the Minoan civilization of Crete . This turn of events gave the opportunity to the Mycenaeans to spread their influence throughout the Aegean . Around c . 1450 BC , they were in control of Crete itself , including Knossos , and colonized several other Aegean islands , reaching as far as Rhodes . Thus the Mycenaeans became the dominant power of the region , marking the beginning of the Mycenaean ' Koine ' era ( from Greek : <unk> , common ) , a highly uniform culture that spread in mainland Greece and the Aegean . 
