Ancient Phoenicians situated in to the island of Crete and built to the capital town of Knossos. The island offered fertile lands well suited for the growth of grape and olive crops and Crete developed into a land of wine and olive oil, needed commodities to the ancient people of the Aegean and Mediterranean. Its culture grew and became the wealthy cultural headquarters for the earliest literate civilization which would come to be called the Minoans. Archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered Troy, was fully intending to excavate Knossos until his death. Arthur Evans, a well educated Englishman, succeeded in revealing the Minoan culture on Crete with the assistance of Duncan McKenzie, an experienced excavator. When Evans began digging in 1900, the remains of the walls lay close to the surface. After a few weeks, Evans discovered the remains of buildings spanning over an area of 8,480 square feet.