Excavations at Knossus in Crete have revealed to us the civilization of
the Minoan age of Greek history. This civilization is the oldest of
which we have knowledge. It flourished about 2000 B. C. Prehistoric
Knossus was a city of massive structure in which the fine arts
flourished and had reached a remarkably high stage of development
(specimens of Minoan pottery are of exceptional beauty and grace) and in
which the art of writing was known. This last fact is of great
importance, as until recently the art of writing in Greece was supposed
to be post-Homeric.