10 Amazing Crete Facts

10 Amazing Crete Facts

Let us be your passport to interesting Crete facts. Learn everything you need to know about Crete history, landscapes, history, statistics, food, and more.

1. Crete was home to the Minoans, Europe's first advanced civilization, from 2700 to 1420 BC.

2. According to Greek mythology, Zeus was born in a Cretan cave. Two caves vie for the honor of being his birthplace, Dikteon Cave and Ideon Cave.

3. According to Greek legend, King Minos of Crete imprisoned the minotaur in the Labyrinth on Crete. There, he dined on human flesh supplied by Cretans, until Theseus killed the monster.

4. The legend of Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus is set on Crete. They tried to escape from the island on homemade wings, but Icarus flew too close to the sun and melted the wax on his wings, causing him to fall into the sea.

5. Knossos, Crete, is the oldest city in Europe.

6. Crete was actually not a Greek island until 1913, when it joined Greece. Before that, it was occupied by various countries.

7. Cretans have their own type of poetry called "mantinada," which is Venetian for "morning song." This type of poetry is typically short, similar to limerick, and celebrates different aspects of life.

8. The kri-kri goat, or the Cretan wild goat, is native to Crete. Its name means "wild one."

9. One of the world's oldest olive trees, if not the oldest, is located on Crete. Called the Olive Tree of Vouves, it is estimated to be 4,000 years old.

10. Actress Jennifer Aniston's Greek great-grandfather fought in the Cretan Revolt against the Ottomans in 1878. Her father, Yiannis Anastasakis, was born in Chania, Crete. He changed his name to John Aniston when he moved to America.

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