For over a century, the origins of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization (c. 2600–1100 BCE) on the island of Crete were shrouded in intense archaeological controversy. Sir Arthur Evans, the British archaeologist who unearthed the magnificent Palace of Knossos, famously hypothesized that the Minoans were a displaced, elite elite population from North Africa or the Middle East, arguing that their highly sophisticated architecture, vibrant frescoes, and advanced maritime trade networks were too comple