In the late third millenium BCE, several localities on the island of Crete develop into centers of commerce and handwork.

This enables the upper classes to continuously practice leadership activities and to expand their influence.

It is likely that the original hierarchies of the local elites were replaced by monarchist power structures - a precondition for the creation of the great palaces.

At the end of the MMII period (1700 BCE), there is a large disturbance in Crete, probably an earthquake, or possibly an invasion from Anatolia.

The palaces at Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, and Kato Zakros are destroyed.

With the start of the Neopalatial period, population increases again, the palaces are rebuilt on a larger scale and new settlements were built all over the island.

This period (the 17th and 16th centuries BCE, MM III / Neopalatial) represents the apex of the Minoan civilization.

There is another natural catastrophe around 1600 BCE, possibly an eruption of the Thera volcano.

Even this disaster doesn’t discourage the Minoans: the palaces are again rebuilt and were made even greater than before.

The influence of the Minoan civilization outside Crete manifests itself in the presence of valuable Minoan handicraft items on the Greek mainland.

It is likely that the ruling house of Mycenae was connected to the Minoan trade network.

After around 1700 BCE, the material culture on the Greek mainland achieves a new level due to Minoan influence.

Connections between Egypt and Crete are prominent.

Minoan ceramics are found in Egyptian cities and the Minoans import several items from Egypt, especially papyrus, as well as architectural and artistic ideas.

The Egyptian hieroglyphs serve as a model for the Minoan pictographic writing, from which the famous Linear A and Linear B writing systems later develop.