History of the Cyclades and Syros tended to approach the Northeast Aegean from a cultural point of view, while the Southern Cyclades seem to have been closer to the Cretan civilisation. Ancient tradition speaks of a Minoan maritime empire, a sweeping image that demands some nuance, but it is nevertheless undeniable that Crete ended up having influence over the entire Aegean. This began to be felt more strongly beginning with the Late Cycladic, or the Late Minoan (from 1700/1600 BC), especially with regard to influence by Knossos and Cydonia. During the Late Minoan, important contacts are attested at Kea, Milos and Santorini; Minoan pottery
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