Legendary Greece, with its myriad of islands, occupies a prominent position in the eastern Mediterranean. This was a fabled land, immersed in the deeds of gods and heroes, and the seat of a succession of great civilisations. Our guides intend to focus on some of the most celebrated cities of the Minoans, the Mycenaeans, as well as those of the Classical Period. The Minoans dominated affairs on Crete in the 2nd millennium BC, developing a highly sophisticated societal system, based around the successful growth of urban centres, such as the palaces of Knossos and Phaistos. The first Mycenaean fortified palaces appeared on the Greek mainland in the second half of the 14th century BC - the best preserved examples being those found at Mycenae and Tiryns. The Classical Period (5th and 4th centuries BC) was characterised by the emergence of the ‘city’ (the polis), as both a social and political entity, and by the first signs of a move towards a democratic state.
