“the first to whom tradition ascribes the possession of a navy.” Thucydides describes Minos as a conqueror: He expanded Cretan territories, taking the Cyclades—the 30 or so islands that ...

Under Minos, the Cretan army and navy flourished, and from his throne in Knossos, one of the oldest known Greek cities, Minos controlled most of the islands of the Aegean Sea. Recognizing this ...