It was the first multicultural empire in history. It was also the first very large empire. Because of this the Empire had to develop ways of running effectively. Roads were built over great distances. Standardize currency. Localized governing systems (i.e. satrapies). It was also the first time Asian powers attempted to invade Europe.
There are several ways in which the apostle Paul encouraged the spread of Christianity, but the main way was that he sent out missionaries.
The people who would most likely support imperialism here would be capitalists and the media. Capitalists because they can produce much higher amounts of goods for a much lower price - exploiting the local population, and the media because they have stories to talk about which sell :)
The main export of the Minoan civilization, which was based on the island of Crete, were their achievements in pottery, cutlery, or rather culture and art in general. The Minoans were renowned for their capabilities in creating painted pottery which was also a product that they exported outside of the borders of their civilization.
