3100 – 2100 BC BC Pre-palatial period: Wave of immigration: The residents probably came from Anatolia. The potter's wheel was introduced.
2100 – 1800 BC BC Old Palace Period: Development of Cretan sea supremacy: one speaks of the Minoan Empire, named after the legendary King Minos. Large import of raw materials (tin and copper). With the wealth and the development of power, the first palaces and a hieroglyph-like writing emerged.
Around 1800 BC BC: Destruction of this culture level by a strong earthquake.
1800 – 1410 BC BC New palace period: Reconstruction, multi-storey and lavishly equipped palace complexes are built. The population rises to 200.000 to 250.000, who apparently live together peacefully, as there are no fortification walls. A large merchant fleet ensures lively imports and exports. Further development of the Linear A font. Around 1628 the volcanic eruption of Thera (Santorini), which devastated some areas of Crete due to tidal waves and ash rain.
1410 – 1200 BC BC Mycenaean rule: Social conflicts and decline in trade weaken the Minoan civilization. Mycenaeans make Crete a colony. Life became more and more primitive.
1200 – 1000 BC BC Post-Palace Period: Refugee and migrant movements lead to strong socio-political changes. Aeolian and Ionian tribes found their way into the islands of the Aegean Sea, destroying and displacing the long-established population.
1000 – 460 BC BC Doric period: Doric immigrants arrive on the island. A strict military hierarchy prevails.
460 – 67 BC Classical Hellenism: The classical epoch of Greece passed Crete without a trace. The island was no longer of any importance. Crete became a hideout for pirates who had fled.
67 BC - 395 AD Roman Period: The general Quintus Caecilius Metellus conquers Crete. New heyday.
59 AD: The apostle Paul comes ashore with Titus and brings Christianity to the island. Titus became the island's first bishop.
Around AD 250: Persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperors Decius and Valerian.
395 – 824 Byzantine occupation: With the division of the Roman Empire, Crete falls to East Rome and thus belongs to the Byzantine Empire with the capital Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire is characterized by the unity of state and church.
824 – 961 Arab occupation: The Arabs land on the south coast and devastate almost the entire island. In Heraklion they found a pirate fort, from where they unsettled the Mediterranean for 150 years. The population is being exploited. Several attempts by Byzantium to recapture the island fail.
961 –1204 2nd Byzantine period: The Byzantine general Phokas recaptured Crete. The island is experiencing an economic boom. At the end of 1200, some fortifications were built to protect trade.
1204 – 1669 Venetian Period: After Byzantium was destroyed in the fourth crusade and Boniface of Montferrat received Crete, he sold the island to Venice. The new masters name the capital and the island Candia. Crete is invaded by Turkish pirates more and more often, after 22 years of siege of Heraklion, Crete finally falls under Turkish rule.
1669 – 1821 Turkish Period: The island is Islamized under pressure. All the churches are being converted into mosques.
1821 – 1898 Wars of Liberation: Various bloody revolts against the Turks are suppressed.
1898 – 1913: Crete becomes an independent state closely linked to the Kingdom of Greece.
30.5.1913: Crete is united with Greece.
1924: The republic is proclaimed in Greece.
1935: As a result of the global economic crisis, the monarchy is restored.
1936: General Metaxas removes parliament and establishes a dictatorship approved by the king, which is characterized by secret service, censorship and nationalist ideology.
1941 - 1944: German conquest of Greece.
1946 - 1949: Civil war breaks out in Greece.
1951: Greece joins NATO.
1967 - 1974: Military dictatorship in Greece.
1974: Restoration of democracy and simultaneous abolition of the monarchy through a referendum.
1981: Greece becomes 10th full member of the European Community.
2002: Accession to the European Monetary Union.
