The Minoans: everything you wanted to know
Dr Ellen Adams answers all the key questions about the ancient civilisation best known for the legend of the Minotaur
Centred on the island of Crete, the Bronze-Age Minoan civilisation stretched from roughly 3000 to 1200BC, and is probably most famous for its legend surrounding the mythical Minotaur and the fabulous palace of Knossos. But what else do we know about this ancient society? In conversation with David Musgrove, Ellen Adams answers all the key questions about the Minoans.
Ellen Adams is the author of The Minoans: Lost Civilizations (Reaktion Books, 2025).
Authors
David Musgrove is content director of the HistoryExtra.com website and podcast, plus its sister print magazines BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. He has a PhD in medieval landscape archaeology and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.