Economic Activity

The Cretan economy remained agricultural, without any impressive increase in trade. The main commodities were grain and wine, though pastoralism and beekeeping were also well developed. Arab texts are our main source of information on the production of numerous aromatic and medicinal herbs, mention also being made of fishing. Continued mining activity in this period included the extraction of minerals, metals and rock, as exemplified by the quarrying of whetstones from the Elounda area. Small industry mainly involved the production of ceramics and glassware. The fact that small numbers of coins have been discovered at various points on the island, such as at Gortyn, Chersonissos and Eleftherna, indicates that at least to a limited extent, the inhabitants were using money in their financial transactions.