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The first Greeks were not even from Greece, but from the island of __Crete__ in the __Mediterranean (Middle Earth)__ Sea. The civilization started around _2800___ B.C. and left an important _legacy___, or gift from the past, to the Greeks. Historians do not know much about these Greeks called the _Minoans___ (or Cretans) because they have not been able to decipher (or _translate_) their writing. Historians call their form of writing __Linear A___ because it is written in a straight line and because it is the first form of Greek writing. THE ORIGINS: According to Greek legend the Minoans are the offspring of __Zeus__, the Greek King of the Gods, and a Phoenician princess named Europa (the continent _Europe_ takes its name from her). Zeus (who took the form of a _bull_) and Europa had children and one of them was __Minos__ who became the king of the people of Crete and the Cretans took the name Minoans in his honor. THE ECONOMY: Given that Crete was an island the Minoans began to build __boats__ to be able to trade for what they needed. The Minoans became the world’s first important seafaring civilization and changed the ship building industry. The Minoans built bigger, stronger, and faster ships by adding more _masts__ (sails) to the ships and placing a deck over the heads of rowers. They also were the first to add a _prow_, a wooden beam in the front of a ship used to ram holes into enemy ships. Because of their location in the __Mediterranean__ Sea, the Minoans traded with the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, and the people of Greece. Most people wanted the _olive_ oil the Minoans made. THE CITIES: Minoan cities were very different from other ancient civilizations because they had no __walls_ for protection and because instead of temples in the center of the city the Minoans had _arenas__. The palaces were huge and usually covered over 4 _acres_. The biggest city was _Knossos__. To foreign visitors the palaces seemed like a __labyrinth__ or a maze. The walls in the palaces were decorated with _frescoes_ (color paintings on walls). The Minoans even had bathrooms with __plumbing___ and hot and cold running water. THE PEOPLE AND RELIGION: The Minoans were ruled by _kings_ and may have been under the control of _priest__. These kings/ priests made the __laws__ and represented the gods. Historians are not certain, but they do believe that _women_ had an important role in Minoan society. The Minoans may have made _human_ sacrifices and their sporting events may have been done to please the gods. The Minoans definitely loved to watch _bull-jumping/leaping_. Based on findings the Minoan religion was __polytheistic__, meaning they had many gods. The most important god was the _Snake_ Goddess or Mother Goddess who was responsible for the food that came from the Earth and for bringing children into the world. THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR: