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
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