Connections with the Peloponnese in the sixth century form a necessary prelude to interpreting subsequent Cretan developments. It also draws from the author's recent work on the island's ceramic sequences and overseas imports. This article examines the relevant literary, epigraphic, numismatic, and archaeological testimony. What caused this remarkable turnaround? Important new evidence calls for a major reassessment of Late Archaic and Classical Cretan foreign relations. By contrast, the island in the fifth century seems to fall outside the political, cultural, and economic fold of mainland Greece and notably refused to participate in the war against the Persians. In standard accounts of seventh-century Aegean history, Crete serves as a crucial intermediary between Greece and the Near East. Crete presents a puzzle to historians of ancient Greece.
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