The first Greek civilizations were the Minoans and Mycenaeans. The Minoan civilization was named after King Minos of Crete. The civilization built palaces and a sea empire. The Minoans traded pottery, gold, silver, and jewelry. Major architecture advances such as bathrooms with drains and houses with many rooms came from the Minoan civilization.
The Mycenaeans got their name from a fortified place on the mainland called Mycenae. Mycenae was the center of the Mycenaean Greek civilization around 1600 BC to 1100 BC. The Mycenaeans came up with beehive shaped tombs and were a people of war. Homer recorded one of their most famous military adventures in his books the Iliad and the Odyssey.
The Mycenaeans got their name from a fortified place on the mainland called Mycenae. Mycenae was the center of the Mycenaean Greek civilization around 1600 BC to 1100 BC. The Mycenaeans came up with beehive shaped tombs and were a people of war. Homer recorded one of their most famous military adventures in his books the Iliad and the Odyssey.