Inhabitants

The life of the island's inhabitants was determined by developments marking the course of Byzantine society. In the 6^th century, Crete was recorded as having 22 towns or sizeable settlements. Over the following century, however, urban centres fell into decline and the population turned to farming. The life of Byzantine farmers in this time was arduous and beset by privation: houses were small, with tiled or thatched roofs, clothing was simple and diet was often limited to vegetables, bread and diluted wine. Natural disasters, epidemics, pirate raids and famine restricted life expectancy to under 45 years of age, combined with a high infant mortality rate. On the eve of the Arab conquest, the population is estimated to have stood between 200 000 and 250 000 inhabitants.