HISTORY & CIVILIZATION Traces of human life that have been found come from the end of Neolithic Era (4.000-3.000 BC.). The first habitants of the island came from Asia Minor and were relatives with pre-Hellenic people who lived in Crete and other Greek islands (Kares etc.). The primitive Neolithic civilization of Karpathos continued to the 3rd millennium, but around 2.000 BC. Minoan colonists from Crete brought economic and cultural development to the island. During Neoanactoric Era of Crete (around 1.700-1.450 BC.) - known also as the Era of Minoan Sea Domination and Colonism, Karpathos seems to have had definite Minoan characteristics. It had a large population and was culturally and economically developed. (continue - external link)