The cream of Minoan society were the aristocracy and noble-born, including the priesthood. Below them were the craftsmen, traders and administrators – the most important of whom will have been maintained on rations issued by the palace. Further down the scale are the working folk of the day – farmers, shepherds, fishing folk and unskilled labourers.
It is hard to know whether these less-privileged persons were better off than their equivalents in other cultures of the time.