The demise of the Minoan civilization
In the middle of the XV century. a catastrophe occurs in Crete. It is explained by an earthquake caused by the most powerful eruption of the Santorini volcano, located 110 kilometers north of Knossos, on the island of Fera. It is possible, although doubtful, that this was caused by the earthquake in Crete. On the other hand, the eruption could have created a large tsunami wave that washed away the palaces. And after the disaster, Achaeans could come to Crete to plunder.
The mystery of Atlantis dates back to this incident. The Greek philosopher of the IV century BC Plato gave a description of the huge island of Atlantis, located in front of the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar) or behind them, whose inhabitants, descendants of the sea god Poseidon, once had great power at sea and even captured part of Greece. However, the Atlanteans became proud, and this ruined them. One day the whole island suddenly plunged into the depths of the sea. The mystery of Atlantis still haunts scientists. Geologists unsuccessfully searched for it in the Pacific Ocean, other scientists identified Atlantis with Crete. There is an interesting version, witty and somewhat plausible, connected with the rapid immersion of Atlantis in the area of the island of Fera. The latter currently has a month-shaped shape, as if the middle has been eaten out. According to geologists involved in Atlantis, when a volcano erupts, a large amount of magma comes out of the upper layers of the earth's crust and voids are formed. In one of these voids, after a major eruption, a part of the land in the center of Fera could collapse. The underwater excavations of the French expedition near the island confirm that there really was once a civilization quite comparable to the Cretan one.
After the disaster, Crete has not recovered. Unlike the previous cataclysm, when the palaces were rebuilt, Crete ceases to exist as an independent large state: its era is coming to an end. After the destruction of the palaces, the north-eastern part of Crete is inhabited by the Achaean population who moved from mainland Greece - the Cretan civilization, although it continues to exist until the XII century, nevertheless is no longer independent.