Agate is a rock consisting primarily of crypto crystalline silica, chiefly chalcedony, alternating with micro granular quartz. It is characterized by its fineness of grain and variety of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of host rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks and can be common in certain metamorphic rocks. Agate is one of the most common materials used in the art of hard stone carving, and has been recovered at a number of ancient sites, indicating its widespread use in the ancient world; for example, archaeological recovery at the Knossos site on Crete illustrates its role in Bronze Age Minoan culture cavity, leaving only a droplet that “beads up” on the inside wall of the cavity. This droplet crystallizes into to the formation of stalactites.