Minoan civilization civilization has been described as the earliest of its kind in Europe, with historian Will Durant calling the Minoans "the first link in the European chain". The Minoan civilization is particularly notable for its large and elaborate palaces, some of which were up to four stories high, featured elaborate plumbing systems and were decorated with frescoes. The most notable Minoan palace is that of Knossos, followed by that of Phaistos. The Minoan period saw extensive trade between Crete, Aegean and Mediterranean settlements, particularly the Near East. Through their traders and artists, the Minoans' cultural influence reached beyond Crete to the
Warfare in Minoan Art There were very few images of war in fresco art, however, the city of Knossos had many figural frescoes that could explain some form of war. Bull leaping fresco from Knossos is the most well known piece of artwork. As mentioned above, bull leaping was a sort of activity Minoan men did as a past time and it showed the interaction between the bull and man. Akrotiri was a Minoan Bronze Age settlement on the island of Thera now known as Santorini. Here were found well kept frescoes that has survived through all the years. 37 stone vessels talked about