Greece and the Balkans 1500 BCE

What is happening in Greece and the Balkans in 1500BCE

On the island of Crete, the first civilization in European history – the Minoan – has been flourishing since around 2000 BCE. This is centred on some of the most sophisticated palace-complexes in the world at that time, distributed across the island. Of these, Knossos is the largest and most elaborate. Minoan Crete is a well-developed state with trading contacts throughout the eastern Mediterranean.

On the mainland of Greece and throughout the Aegean sea, another civilization, the Mycenaen, also flourishes. This consists of many small kingdoms, at Mycenae, Troy and other places famous in the epics of later Greeks, and ruled by warrior lords in their thick-walled palaces.

Next map, Ancient Greece 1000 BCE