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
Minoan Flying Dolphins Minoan Flying Dolphins Minoan Flying Dolphins (MFD) was a Greek passenger and freight ferry company. MFD was established in 1998 by Pantelis Sfinias () as a subsidiary of Minoan Lines. Sfinias had convinced many prominent Greek businessmen to purchase stakes in MFD. His plan was to use the raised capital for purchasing small traditional ferry companies and eventually consolidate the Greek ferry industry. MFD's first acquisition was "Ceres Flying Dolphins" owned by the Livanos family, a hydrofoils company active in the Argo-Saronic Gulf and the Sporades islands. Within a few months, MFD grew rapidly through a barrage of buyouts that