The oldest evidence of inhabitants on Crete are preceramic Neolithic farming community remains that date to approximately 7000 BCE.

A comparative study of DNA haplogroups of modern Cretan men shows that a male founder group from Anatolia, or the Levant, is shared with the Greeks.

he Neolithic population dwells in open villages.

On the shores, there are fishermen's huts, while the fertile Mesara Plain is used for agriculture.

The Bronze Age begins in Crete around 2700 BCE.

In the late 3rd millennium BCE, several localities on the island develop into centers of commerce and handwork.

This enables the upper classes to continuously practice leadership activities and to expand their influence.

It is likely that the original hierarchies of the local elites are replaced by monarchist power structures - a precondition for the creation of the great palaces.

From the Early Bronze Age (3500 BCE to 2600 BCE), the Minoan civilization on Crete shows a promise of greatness.