Crete was the centre of Europe 's first advanced civilization , the Minoan ( ) . This civilization wrote in the undeciphered script known as Linear A. Early Cretan history is replete with legends such as those of King Minos , Theseus and the Minotaur , passed on orally via poets such as Homer . The volcanic eruption of Thera may have been the cause of the downfall of the Minoan civilization
volcanic eruption
Minoan eruption
Crete