Ancient inhabitants of Crete mentioned in classical texts, possibly representing pre-Greek or indigenous Cretan peoples.
From Greek 'Eteokretans,' combining 'eteos' (true/indigenous) with 'Krete' (Crete)—literally 'true Cretans.' The term suggests people claiming to be the original inhabitants.
The Eteocretes might be a memory of the Minoans—the mysterious civilization that dominated Crete 4,000 years ago before Indo-European Greeks arrived, and classical writers used this name to identify their descendants!
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