Knossos was a Greek city-state on the Mediterranean island of Crete. The island was first settled in 7000 BC, and it grew to have a population of up to 1,000 people by 4000 BC. After 2000 BC, the Minoans built a palace at Knossos, but they were destroyed by earthquakes in around 1700 BC. From 1650 to 1450 BC, the palaces were rebuilt, and the Minoans under King Minos established a sea empire that expanded trade, cleared the sea of pirates, and colonized many Aegean islands. Around 1450 BC, the Mycenaeans invaded and destroyed the island, which was repopulated in 1000 BC. Knossus came to have the ports of Amnisos and Heraklion, and the Knossians colonized Brundisium in Italy. During the Cretan War of 205 to 200 BC, Knossos, with Roman and Rhodian aid, liberated Crete from Macedonian influence. Knossos was then absorbed into the Roman Republic.
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