The Minoans dominated trade in the Mediterranean Sea from 2000-1400 BC and lived on the island of Crete. They had an advanced and thriving capital city of Knossos with no fortifications. The Minoans traded their high quality pottery and their culture spread throughout the area, influencing future Greeks. Their civilization ended around 1200 BC possibly due to natural disasters. After 1100 BC, the Phoenicians came to dominate Mediterranean trade from their cities in present-day Lebanon. They developed the first alphabet which was adopted by the Greeks and provides the basis for the English alphabet today.