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The myth of the Minotaur is deeply associated with the island of Crete. It is now widely accepted that the legend is based on the Minoan Bronze Age civilization that flourished on the island in the Bronze Age, from about 2700 to c. 1450 BC .<ref> Bosworth, p. 178</ref>. The civilization is named after Minos, and we do not know what its people called themselves, as no-one has been able to decipher their writings. Many regard the Minoans as the first European civilization. Despite this, they were forgotten about for millennia. This culture was only uncovered in the 19th century by one of the pioneers of archaeology Sir Arthur Evans.

Archaeologists have revealed a large number of palaces the most famous of these is the palace at Knossos. These also contain remarkable frescoes some of the first masterpieces of European art. It appears that the Minoans established a maritime empire in the Aegean. They were also great traders and traded with the city-states and Empires in the Levant. By around 1500 BC, civilization began to decline. Various explanations for this have been offered, including volcanic eruption and an invasion of Dorian Greeks from mainland Greece.<ref>Bosworth, p. 201</ref>.