Greece is home to the first advanced civilizations in Europe and is considered the birthplace of Western civilization, beginning with the Cycladic civilization on the islands of the Aegean Sea at around 3200 BCE, the Minoan civilization in Crete (2700–1500 BCE), and the Mycenaean civilization on the mainland (1900–1100 BCE).

These civilizations posses writing, the Minoans writing in an undeciphered script known as Linear A, and the Mycenaeans in Linear B, an early form of Greek.

The Mycenaeans gradually absorb the Minoans, but collapse violently around 1200 BCE, during a time of regional upheaval known as the Bronze Age collapse.

This ushers in a period known as the Greek Dark Ages, from which written records are absent.