After the Minoan society on Crete was destroyed, its cultural traditions and legends passed into the life of mainland Greece.
Only four ancient civilizations—Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus valley, and China—provided the basis for continuous cultural developments in the same location. After the Minoan society on Crete was destroyed, its cultural traditions and legends passed into the life of mainland Greece. As for Meso-America and South America, their cultures were submerged by the Spanish conquerors of the 16th century.