[post_page_title]Birth of Western Civilization[/post_page_title]
The Palace of Knossos on the Greek Island of Crete was the center of Minoan civilization, the first European civilization of its kind. Though it was established at the end of the Stone Age, the old city reached its peak in 1,700 BCE with 100,000 people around the city. The palace itself did not only house a royal family, but served as a center of faith, commerce and other civilian matters. Through trade and artisan work, the minoan culture thrived until a series of misfortunes – including a manmade and natural disasters – caused its demise.
