At the beginning, power began to be centred in the hands of kings, for some unknown reason, and the first large palace centres which had a wide cultural influence in the vital region around them, came into being. Excavation has revealed four large palaces, but there must have been others. The later palaces possessed all the features of the fully developed Minoan architecture, that is the arrangement of the buildings around a central court, fine facades of closely fitted blocks of porous stone; large numbers of magazines for the storage of food, sacred rooms, different levels and storeys connected by small staircases, and monumental entrances.

The specialist workshops of the palaces produced very fine vases or vessels of stone and faience; sealstones of precious or semi-precious stones, with hieroglyphics and dynamic scenes that are often naturalistic; solid elegant weapons and tools; vessels of bronze or silver; jewellery of marvellous and miniature sculpture.