In the period between 1600 and 1500 B.C. the destroyed palaces were rebuilt . This "new" palace period signified the Golden Age of Crete and produced the first great Western Civilization. The creative energy and artistic achievement of this era were unsurpassed.

The "new" palaces were a result of a sudden spurt of large-scale building activity and are the main source of information on Minoan architecture. The largest was the palace at Knossos, called the Palace of Minos. It covered so much land and contained so many rooms that it remains in Greek legend as the labyrinth of the Minotaur. The masonry construction of Minoan palaces is excellent throughout, but the columns were always of wood. Although no actual columns have survived, their characteristic form (the smooth shaft tapering downward, topped by a wide, cushion-shaped capital) is known from representations in painting and sculpture.

Typical wall decorations of the period can be found in the Queen's Megaron. The frescoes on the plastered walls combined with the red and blue columns to create a stunningly rich effect. The frescoes illustrated nature and pictures of Cretan life.

A fragment of another fresco, "La Parisienne", could easily be a piece from modern times. Although the girl depicted has the conventionally enlarged and front-view eye, her turned-up nose, full red lips, and elaborate coiffure appear quite modern. There is a charm, freshness and zest for life not found in the art of the ancient Near East.

Contrast this work to the famous painted limestone bust of Akhenaton's queen, Nefertiti. It illustrates an expression of entranced musing with sensitivity and delicate curving contours. The Nefertiti bust is an excellent example of the elegant blending of reality and formality often seen in the art of the ancient Near East.