In the period when Eastern civilizations were developing, a glorious civilization arose in Greece – the Myceneaen civilization – named after the town of Mycenae in southern Greece. The Myceneans reached Crete, the Aegean Islands, Cyprus and the shores of Asia Minor (Western Turkey today). Around 1200 BCE, the royal palace in Mycenae was abandoned and the city fell into decline. The reasons for the fall of the Mycenaean civilization, as well as other cultures in the Aegean region, are unknown. The fall may have been due to invasions by foreign tribes from northern Greece, widespread drought or internal rebellion. In either case, the people who lost their homes began searching for a new home. Among them were the Philistines.