The exact date of the island's colonisation is not known. However, the age of tools found is estimated to be over 100,000 years old.
7000 - 4000 B.C. The first reliable human traces on Crete date from this period, including the so-called "Akeramic layers of Knossos".
Minoan period
3000 BC The Minoan period begins.
2700 -2000 B.C. This period is referred to by historians as the "pre-palace period", as the large palace buildings of the following millennium did not yet exist. People were already able to work bronze at this time.
2000 - 1700 B.C. Old Palace Period. Palace cultures with large urban centres develop on the island, for example in Knossós, Festós, Mália and Zákros. The use of the first written characters and pottery finds are evidence of a high level of cultural development.
1700 - 1450 B.C. New palace period. New palaces are built on the ruins of the old ones, decorated with colourful murals. A flourishing trade with the Egyptian and Greek regions develops.
1450 B.C. The end of the Minoan period. Destruction of the palaces and cities.
1400 - 1100 B.C. Post-palace period. After the fall of the Minoan civilisation, Crete is ruled by the Mycenaean Greeks.
1100 - 700 B.C. There is not much written evidence of the island's history from this period. From the 11th century BC, the art of ironworking spread. Old settlements such as Knossós or Górtys flourish again - but there are frequent armed conflicts.
Archaic and classical period
6th century - 4th century B.C. There is a long period of peace, which only ends in the second half of the 4th century, when power struggles destroy the old aristocratic order.
Hellenism and the imperial period
4th century - 67 B.C. As in the previous centuries, Crete does not play a significant role in the eastern Mediterranean. The Spartan king Agis III had Crete occupied in 333 BC - other conquerors followed. Piracy spread from Crete and the Romans took vigorous action against it in the first century BC.
67 BC - 395 AD The Romans elevate Crete to a province and make Górtys the capital. The inhabitants accept Roman rule without resistance and Crete remains peaceful for a long time. In the 3rd and 4th centuries, Christianity spreads on the island and building activity is brisk.
395 Partition of the Roman Empire, Crete falls to the Byzantine Empire.
Byzantine Empire and Saracen rule
395 - 826 First Byzantine period. With Christianity as the sole religion, numerous places of worship are built. Remains of early Christian mosaic art are still preserved today.
826 - 961 Arab period. Saracens conquer Crete and found, among other things, today's city of Heraklion.
961 - 1204 Second Byzantine period. Byzantium tried several times to reconquer the island, which succeeded after several failed attempts in 961. After the reconquest by General Nikephoros Phokas, a renewed Christianisation began and many new churches and monasteries were built.
Venetian rule
1204 - 1669 After the decline of the Byzantine Empire, the period of Venetian rule begins. The Venetians utilised the island's central location in the eastern Mediterranean for their own purposes as a leading trading power - Crete became the most important Venetian colony and the Orthodox Church was subordinated to the Roman Catholic Church. The Cretans defended themselves in numerous uprisings, but without success. Venetian culture leaves many traces, especially in architecture. In view of the imminent danger from the Ottoman Empire, the Venetians built large defences on Crete.
Ottoman rule
1669 - 1897 After more than 20 years of siege, Crete is largely in Turkish hands in 1669. Under Ottoman rule, many Cretans converted to Islam. A modest economic upswing began in the 18th century. Again and again, the Cretans tried to get rid of their new masters in revolts. They all ended in bloody massacres. The intervention of Greece leads to the Turkish-Greek War, which ends in Greece's defeat in 1897.
Independence
1898 - 1913 In the peace treaty of 4 December 1897, Crete is granted nominal independence under the nominal sovereignty of the Ottoman Sultan at the instigation of the major powers.
Unification with Greece
1913 As a result of the First Balkan War, Crete is united with Greece.
1922/23 Following the Greek-Turkish war and the Treaty of Lausanne, a population exchange is agreed between the two countries. 22,000 Turks have to leave Crete, 34,000 Greeks come from Asia Minor.
1936 - 1941 Fascist dictatorship under Metaxas
Second World War
In 1941, Greek, British and New Zealand troops are on Crete. Their task is to hold the island against the Germans and Italians in order to secure British shipping in the Mediterranean. German paratroopers parachute over Crete and take hold after fierce fighting. The German occupation lasted until 1945, with mass shootings and other war crimes characterising this inglorious period. Some of those responsible were later sentenced to death and executed.
Post-war period
1974 History has left its mark on the Cretans: In a referendum on the reintroduction of the monarchy in 1974, 91% of all Cretans voted against the monarchy and in favour of the introduction of a parliamentary republic. (The average in Greece was less than 70 %).
1989 Since the end of the "cold war", the fundamental left-wing political orientation has moved closer to that of mainland Greece.
2008 With the global economic crisis, Crete also enters its worst financial phase since the Second World War. Unemployment and poverty increase noticeably.