Minoan civilization Minoan influence was the strongest on the Canaanite city-state. These are the only Minoan artifacts which have been found in Israel. Minoan techniques and ceramic styles had varying degrees of influence on Helladic Greece. Along with Santorini, Minoan settlements are found at Kastri on Cythera, an island near the Greek mainland influenced by the Minoans from the mid-third millennium BC (EMII) to its Mycenaean occupation in the 13th century. Minoan strata replaced a mainland-derived early Bronze Age culture, the earliest Minoan settlement outside Crete. The Cyclades were in the Minoan cultural orbit and, closer to Crete, the islands of Karpathos,
Minoan sealstone Minoan sealstone Minoan seal-stones are carved gemstones produced in the Minoan civilization. They have been found in quantity at specific sites, for example in Knossos, Mallia and Phaistos. Minoan seal-stones are of a small size, 'pocket-size', in the manner of a personal amulet. They might be thought of as equivalent to the pocket-sized, scaraboid seals of Ancient Egypt. However Minoan seals can be larger, with largest examples of many inches. These include with animals, dance, and goddesses. One common iconographic motif in Minoan art, especially frescoes, is bull-leaping; the example illustrated shows leapers and a bull. Other themes are varied,