Editing Aegean Sea (section)

===Ancient history===
[[File:Cycladic figurine, female, 2800-2300 BC, AM Naxos (13 01), 143205.jpg|200px|thumb|upright=1.25|Female figure from [[Naxos]] (2800–2300 BC)]]
The current coastline dates back to about 4000&nbsp;BC. Before that time, at the peak of the [[last glacial period|last ice age]] (about 18,000 years ago) sea levels everywhere were {{Convert|130|m}} lower, and there were large well-watered coastal plains instead of much of the northern Aegean. When they were first occupied, the present-day islands including [[Milos]] with its important [[obsidian]] production were probably still connected to the mainland. The present coastal arrangement appeared around 9,000 years ago, with post-ice age sea levels continuing to rise for another 3,000 years after that.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Tjeerd H. van Andel |author2=Judith C. Shackleton |title=Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic Coastlines of Greece and the Aegean|journal=Journal of Field Archaeology |volume=9|issue=4|date=Winter 1982|pages=445–454|jstor=529681 |doi=10.1179/009346982791504454}}</ref>

The subsequent [[Bronze Age]] civilizations of Greece and the Aegean Sea have given rise to the general term ''[[Aegean civilization]]''. In ancient times, the sea was the birthplace of two ancient civilizations&nbsp;– the [[Minoan civilization|Minoans]] of Crete and the [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaeans]] of the [[Peloponnese]].<ref>Tracey Cullen, ''Aegean Prehistory: A Review'' (American Journal of Archaeology. Supplement, 1); Oliver Dickinson, ''The Aegean Bronze Age'' (Cambridge World Archaeology).</ref>

The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean islands, flourishing from around 3000 to 1450 BC before a period of decline, finally ending at around 1100 BC. It represented the first advanced civilization in Europe, leaving behind massive building complexes, tools, stunning artwork, writing systems, and a massive network of trade.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195389661/obo-9780195389661-0071.xml;jsessionid=34C7E22759BF3739960486FE75375115|title=Ancient Crete – Classics |website=Oxford Bibliographies |language=en |doi=10.1093/obo/9780195389661-0071 |first1= Angelos |last1=Chaniotis |first2=Antonis |last2=Kotsonas |access-date=17 June 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617030905/https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195389661/obo-9780195389661-0071.xml;jsessionid=34C7E22759BF3739960486FE75375115 |archive-date= 17 June 2019 }}</ref> The Minoan period saw extensive trade between Crete, Aegean, and Mediterranean settlements, particularly the Near East. The most notable Minoan palace is that of [[Knossos]], followed by that of [[Phaistos]]. The Mycenaean Greeks arose on the mainland, becoming the first advanced civilization in mainland Greece, which lasted from approximately 1600 to 1100 BC. It is believed that the site of [[Mycenae]], which sits close to the Aegean coast, was the center of Mycenaean civilization. The Mycenaeans introduced several innovations in the fields of engineering, architecture and military infrastructure, while trade over vast areas of the Mediterranean, including the Aegean, was essential for the Mycenaean economy. Their [[syllabic script]], the [[Linear B]], offers the first written records of the Greek language and [[Mycenaean religion|their religion]] already included several deities that can also be found in the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympic Pantheon]]. Mycenaean Greece was dominated by a warrior elite society and consisted of a network of [[palace]]-centered states that developed rigid hierarchical, political, social and economic systems. At the head of this society was the king, known as ''[[wanax]]''.

The civilization of Mycenaean Greeks perished with the [[Late Bronze Age collapse|collapse of Bronze Age culture]] in the eastern Mediterranean, to be followed by the so-called [[Greek Dark Ages]]. It is undetermined what cause the collapse of the Mycenaeans. During the Greek Dark Ages, writing in the Linear B script ceased, vital trade links were lost, and towns and villages were abandoned.