Thucydides - Origins of Greece

Question 1

And they could not have united even for the Trojan expedition unless they
had previously acquired a greater knowledge of seafaring. Minos, according
to tradition, was the first person to organize a navy. He controlled the
greater part of what is now called the Hellenic Sea; he ruled over the
Cyclades, in most of which he founded the first colonies, putting his sons in
as governors after having driven out the Carians. And it is reasonable to
suppose that he did his best to put down piracy in order to secure his own
revenues.

Answer 1

.

Question 2

Where is the passage from?

Answer 2

Thucydides, The History 1.3-4, 9

Question 3

What happens in the passage?

Answer 3

King Minos was the first person to establish a navy with which he conquered the Cyclades. Knossos, a site on Crete, flourished through maritime trade and overland commerce under Minos’ rule.

Question 4

What was the Cyclades?

Answer 4

An island group in the Aegean Sea, southeast of mainland Greece.