The Ancient Minoans and Mycenaeans were early Greek civilizations. The Minoans lived on the island of Crete where they built palaces and established a trade network, gaining power through trade. They were later conquered by the Mycenaeans who lived on the Greek mainland and spoke an early form of Greek. After the Trojan War, Greece entered a Dark Age period of poverty and isolation as trade collapsed and people moved to islands or Asia Minor for protection. City-states later emerged from villages and were ruled by kings or aristocrats.