They did it by being better than anyone else at metalworking. They had a strong and developed iron industry and they traded a lot with other nations so they could amass large amounts of wealth. They also made textile out of cotton and had large amounts of gold, so it was easy for them to become dominant.
<span />
Cities because they have more pay and job choices
The earliest civilization in the Aegean region emerged on the large island of Crete, southeast of the Greek mainland. (Ch. 4/Pg. 75: The Essential World History-Volume I: To 1800: Third Edition-William J. Duiker & Jackson J. Spielvogel).
