The first known civilization in Greece was the Minoan culture on the island of Crete, which existed around 2000 B.C. Many wall paintings were found at the ruins of the palace Knossos thought to have come from the Minoan culture. The Minoans were conquered by the Mycenaeans from the mainland in approximately 1450 B.C. After the Minoans defeat Ancient Greece was dominated by small city-states. Due to Greece's rough geography it was hard to unify the country under the rule of a single king, which lead to a development of these The largest of these were Athens, Sparta, and Thebes. They were often at war with each
