With the arrival of new racial elements in Crete, bronze was used for the first time in the fabrication of tools and weapons. Its use became widespread and continued to the end of the Minoan period. There is little known about domestic life except that there were strongly built houses of stone and brick which had large numbers of rooms, paved courtyards and, often, red plaster on the walls. The tombs of the period are very well known however and the wealth of finds in them supplies us with information about the art and evolution of the pre-palace Civilisation.

The pottery has a variety of main styles, and are imitations of vessels made of straw, wood or hide and have incised, motifs full of movement painted and mottled decoration. The first polychrome pottery makes its appearance towards the end of the period. Society seems to have been organised in genos, or clans, and farming, stock-raising, shipping and commerce were developed to a systematic level. The main forms of deity, and the most important cult symbols, had made their appearance in the sphere of religion, figurines of the Mother Goddess being typical.