Major mints: Knossos, Gortyna, Hieraptina, Lyttos, Phaestos.

A large island in the Aegean, famous more for its Bronze Age glory than for its classical history, this was the home of the legendary king Minos, whose deeds - mostly objectionable - are recorded in the myths. It was also home to the city of Knossos, home to Minos, which ruled as the center of the Bronze Age Minoan kingdom. The story of Minos and his labyrinth is commemorated by a coin-type with a schematic labyrinth on the reverse.

The island conained a number of cities in the classical period, which were at war with each other much of the time. Many of them issued coins; Gortyna issued a distinctive series featuring Europa sitting in a tree. Lyttos used the forepart of a wild boar, of distinctive style. Phaesos, known for (among other things) a Bronze Age disc with an undeciphered inscription, issued coins with types referring to the incident of Herakles and the Cretan bull.

The Romans absorbed the island, putting an end to the predilection of the inhabitants for piracy when Q. Caecilius Metellus, named Creticus, conquered it in 68-7 BC in penalty for supporting Mithradates VI of Pontos. The Cretans were forced to turn to honest trade, and the island prospered, although the honest part is open to question given St. Pauls quote of a Cretan writer to the effect that Cretans were liars.