Minoan and Mycenaean Time Line
| 3000 BC | Crete was settled by a people who probably came from Asia Minor |
| 2800 BC | Minoan civilization begins. |
| 2000 BC | Myceneans move into Balkan Peninsula from southern Russia |
| 1600 BC | Urban centers begin to thrive |
| 1500 BC | Earthquake destroys palace centers |
| Linear "B" script appears | |
| 1450 BC | Thera eruption and destruction of eastern Crete |
| 1400 BC | Mycenaeans take control of Crete |
| 1250 BC | Trojan War; Myceneans attack Troy |
| Civil Wars break out in Greece. | |
| Dorians enter Greece and conquere the Myceneans. | |
| Myceneans flee
Greece. Settle in Aegean islands on the western shore of Asia Minor. Settlements become known as Ionia |
|
| 1100 BC | Cities empty |
| Dark Ages Time of wandering and killing. Overseas trade stopped. People of the Aegean area forgot how to read and write. Everything started over. Herding and farming became the main way of life. |