Knossos 1902, 1905: The prepalatial and protopalatial deposits from the room of the jars in the royal pottery stores

Annual of the British School at Athens

Volumn 95, Issue , 2000, Pages 65-105

  Momigliano, Nicoletta ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL   (United Kingdom)

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EID: 85012493214     PISSN: 00682454     EISSN: 20452403     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/S0068245400004585     Document Type: Article

References (64)

1. The EM III phase at Knossos has been previously referred to as ‘Prepolychrome MM I A’ by Sinclair Hood and as ‘EM III/MM I A’ by Momigliano (1991): see N. Momigliano, ‘On the Early Minoan III-Middle Minoan IA sequence at Knossos’, in Proceedings of the VIII Cretological Congress, Heraklion 9-14 September 1996 (in press); see also Sinclair Hood, ‘Stratigraphical excavations at Knossos 1957-61’, Proceedings of the I Cretological Congress, published in Kr. Chron. 15-16 (1961-1962), 92-8, and id., ‘The Early and Middle Minoan periods at Knossos’, BICS 13 (1966), 110-11. On the EM III and MM IA sequence at Knossos see also Conclusions, below.
2. A. J. Evans, ‘The Palace of Knossos. Provisional report of the excavations for the year 1902’, BSA 8 (1901-1902), 117-20, figs. 70-1 (see also Appendix 1). For a recent re-examination of these ceramics and their context see MacGillivray 1998, 35-9.
3. See Evans PM i, 231 ff, esp. pp. 240-7. See also M. S. F. Hood and W. Taylor, The Bronze Age Palace at Knossos (London, 1981), no. 178.
4. See Evans (n. 3) and PM i, 241 colour plate II; see also D. Mackenzie, ‘The pottery of Knossos’, JHS 23 (1903), 157-205 10.2307/623763, pls, v-vi and MacGillivray 1998, 35-9.
5. See Evans, PM i, 572 fig. 416: a. Also, in the Index of PM, compiled by Joan Evans, the jars are listed under MM III B. Evans and Mackenzie did not give very precise information as to the location of the Room of the Jars, butj. D. S. Pendlebury, The Guide to the Stratigraphical Museum at Knossos (London, 1933-1935) lists 34 boxes (1019-52) labelled ‘L.III.8 Room of Jars’, and locates L.III.8 in a narrow room, longer walls running N-S, at the eastern border of the Royal Pottery Stores (cf. FIG. 2: b). This seems in agreement with the fact that Mackenzie in his 1902 Daybook refers to the other rooms with polychrome pottery as being ‘adjacent W’ and provided with doors opening onto the Room of the Jars (see also MacGillivray 1998, 38).
6. This change of mind is more fully illustrated by the extracts from Mackenzie's original excavation records and later published sources in the Appendix. On the ‘Small East Rooms’ see MacGillivray 1998, 35-8.
7. Appendix, 19 May.
8. MacGillivray 1998, 38-9.
9. Pendlebury et al. (n. 6), 18-19: L.III. Royal Pottery Stores.
10. D. Mackenzie, ‘The Middle Minoan pottery of Knossos’, JHS 26 (1906), 243-6710.2307/624377 at 253 (deposit no. 6). The deposit was grouped by Mackenzie with the Upper East Well, the North Quarter of the City and other deposits which, together with later deposits such as the Vat Room, formed his and Evans's definition of MM I A: see Momigliano 1991, 149-271, csp. 150.
11. For the sake of brevity, I report only the titling of the boxes, as they generally repeat faithfully the information written by Mackenzie on the original wooden labels used during the excavations and still kept inside many of the boxes.
12. British Museum, Dept. of Greek and Roman Antiquities, Report of Donations, 8 November 1906.
13. On this MM I A fill see G. Cadogan, P. M. Day, C. F. Macdonald, J. A. MacGillivray, N. Momigliano, T. M. Whitelaw, and D. E. Wilson, ‘Early Minoan and Middle Minoan pottery groups at Knossos’, BSA 88 (1993), 21-8, at 25, with bibliography.
14. Cf. n. 2, above. See also conclusions, below.
15. MacGillivray 1998, 35-6.
16. Most if not all the EM III deposits from Evans's excavations published so far were heavily selected: Momigliano 1991, 244-5 (referred to as EM III/MM I A). For the Upper East Well, Mackenzie recorded that 24 ‘baskets’ and 427 fragments were thrown away (For the sake of brevity, I report only the titling of the boxes, as they generally repeat faithfully the information written by Mackenzie on the original wooden labels used during the excavations and still kept inside many of the boxes. 156)
17. F. Carinci, during a visit to the KSM in Sept. 1996, recognized this jar as Phaistian.
18. Nos. 1, 3, 4, 13-26, 33, 40, 43, 44-9, 54. Some of these vessels have now been moved to shelves in the KSM ‘Treasury’, together with others mended in 1991.
19. Momigliano 1991; ead. and D. E. Wilson, ‘Knossos 1993: excavations outside the South Front of the Palace’, BSA 91 (1996), 1-59.
20. Momigliano 1991, 245, 260: Fabrics I and II. See also MacGillivray 1998, 55 (‘Fine Buff’).
21. In my previous study of EM III and MM I A deposits from Evans's excavations, I suggested that such vessels were made with the help of some rotating device but not wheel-thrown, in the sense of being made with the use of centrifugal force (Momigliano 1991, 264-5 and plate 44:7). However, further study of Knossian pottery and discussions with other colleagues have persuaded me that such footed goblets may have been wheel-thrown, representing the first tentative, and not very skilful, use of the potter's wheel in Crete (cf. also N. Momigliano ‘Osservazioni sulla nascita dei palazzi minoici e sul periodo prepalaziale a Cnosso’, in V. La Rosa, D. Palermo and L. Vagnetti, Epi ponton plazomenoi. Simposio italiano di Studi Egei dedicato a Luigi Bernabó Brea e Giovanni Pugtiese Carraletli (Rome, 1999), 69-74, at 72.
22. Cf. Momigliano 1991, 245-8: Footed Goblet types 1-4; Footless Goblet types 1-2.
23. my previous study of EM III and MM I A deposits from Evans's excavations., 250-1: One-Handled Cup type 2.
24. Similar to my previous study of EM III and MM I A deposits from Evans's excavations.: One-Handled Cup type 3, but with a smaller rim diameter.
25. Similar to my previous study of EM III and MM I A deposits from Evans's excavations.: One-Handled Cup type 3, but with a smaller rim diameter., 256-9. This was further confirmed by sherd counts and weights.
26. Cf. Similar to my previous study of EM III and MM I A deposits from Evans's excavations.: One-Handled Cup type 3, but with a smaller rim diameter., 253 Type 1.
27. Cf. Similar to my previous study of EM III and MM I A deposits from Evans's excavations.: One-Handled Cup type 3, but with a smaller rim diameter., 251-3.
28. The necked jar and the bridge spouted jars are similar in shape to vessels from House B, the only other deposit 20), 52 (P 190). which has yielded a similar assemblage: Cf. Similar to my previous study of EM III and MM I A deposits from Evans's excavations.: One-Handled Cup type 3, but with a smaller rim diameter., 220 ff, esp. pl. 53: nos. 79, 80. 82, 83.
29. Cf. Similar to my previous study of EM III and MM I A deposits from Evans's excavations.: One-Handled Cup type 3, but with a smaller rim diameter., 261-4. where this is referred to as ‘Fabric III’; G. Cadogan, ‘Lasithi in the Old Palace Period’, BICS 37 (1990), 172-4. On this fabric, its origins and continued use in the Protopalatial period see also MacGilhvray 1998, 88-9. where it is referred to as ‘Fine Red’.
30. Momigliano 1991. 261-4: Momigliano and Wilson (n. 20), 52 (P 190).
31. On this deposit see Cadogan et al. (n. 14) above.
32. This wheel-made monochrome cup finds a close parallel in MacGillivray's tall-rimmed angular cup type 5 (1998, 72-3) which should belong to MM II A.
33. On the excavation of these levels see above, section 1.2. The pottery from this intermediate fill level was recovered in 6 baskets, the total weight of this material amounts to just over 60 kg.
34. Given the rather mixed appearance of the pottery kept in boxes 1020-6 is was not possible to produce reliable statistics, but something in the region of 2% of the fine decorated wares (and even less of the total assemblage) may not be too wide of the mark.
35. A similar example (in terms of shape) comes from the sherd material from the upper (fill) levels of House B: see J. D. S. Pendlebury and H. W. Pendlebury, ‘Two Protopalatial houses at Knossos’, BSA 30 (1929-1930), pl. XIV: 4. Many better-preserved examples can be found in Hood's MM I A fill deposit and in the MM IA deposits from Archanes. For the latter see Y. and E. Sakellarakis (n. 35), esp. 396 fig. 347 and 399-400 fig. 353. For later (MM I B) examples of similar straight-sided cups sec below, 66 67, and especially MacGillivray 1998, 68 ff.
36. See MacGillivray 1998, 56 (‘Pared Ware’) and pl. 33: 1-6, 15-16. See also, below, 60 and the MM I B egg-cups in ‘Drab Ware’ in Momigliano and Wilson 1996 (n. 20). 17 and pl. 5: 36, 38.
37. Boxes 1047-52 have no wooden labels. Their present titling, suggesting that this material comes from the 1905 excavation, must be incorrect, for they clearly contain the material recovered during the 1902 excavations.
38. Unfortunately the jars were transferred from the KSM to the HM in 1981, before any thorough study and restoration work was carried out. Indeed, among the material transferred to the HM there is also a bag of loose jar sherds (SMP 1376 B) waiting to be restored. Thus, although it has not been possible to join physically any of the KSM sherds to the jars and sherds in the HM, it is clear that this could be done.
39. Appendix, 2 May.
40. Carinci, pers. comm, (visit of Sept. 1996 to KSM).
41. Unfortunately no fragments of suitable lids were found in the KSM boxes.
42. MacGillivray 1998, 35-9.
43. The jar from Macdonald's excavations is P 93 II/P379 from Context S.VII. 8 level 33 no. 1873.3. The jar from Warren's excavations is SEX 81/P 850. I am very grateful to Dr Macdonald and Professor Warren for allowing me to mention these finds from their excavations.
44. Cf. MacGillivray 1998, 82-5, and pls. 113, 114, 115, 119.
45. See Appendix, 19 May.
46. MacGillivray 1998, 38 (Group J).
47. P. M. Day and D. E. Wilson. ‘Consuming power: Kamares ware in protopalatial Knossos’, Antiquity, 72 (1998), 350-8.
48. A. J. MacGillivray, ‘Pottery workshops and the old palaces in Crete’, in R. Hägg and N. Marinatos (eds), The Function of the Minoan Palaces (Stockholm, 1987), 273-9, at 274.
49. Day and Wilson 1998 (n. 49).
50. ‘Pottery workshops and the old palaces in Crete’.; see also D. E. Wilson and P. M. Day, ‘Cerami regionalism in prepalatial central Crete: the Mesara imports at EM I to EM II A Knossos’, BSA 89 (1994), 1-87.
51. For EM II B (and EM III) sec D. E. Wilson, ‘Knossos before the Palaces: an overview of the Early Bronze Age (EM I-EM III)’, in D. Evely, H. Hughes-Brock, and N. Momigliano (eds), Knossos: A Labyrinth of History (London, 1994), 23-44, especially at pp. 32-5 and 39-42.
52. For example, a beaked jug from the Upper East Well (Momigliano 1991, 159, pl. 21: 41) is almost certainly a Mesara import.
53. For east Cretan imports see below, esp. n. 59.
54. Mackenzie (n. 11), 253. The EM III deposits from the 1993 excavations of the ‘South Front House’ come from fills beneath floors or from foundation trenches and appear to represent a slightly earlier phase on stratigraphic (though not stylistic) grounds: sec also Momigliano (n. 2, Cretological).
55. The meagre descriptions in Mackenzie's Daybooks and in Pendlebury's publication of Houses A and B below the Kouloures make no mention of burnt levels. In the case of the Upper East Well Mackenzie is less laconic, but still makes no mention of burnt or ashy layers (Daybook for 1902 vol. ii, 37, 39, 43-4, 46, 48, 49, 51).
56. Cf. MacGillivray 1998, 90-4: while his stylistic analysis is correct, his ‘stratigraphic evidence’ is a chypothetical reconstruction which cannot be verified, for in the deposits he mentions (the Monolithic Pillar Basement, House B, and House C) the finds from different levels have not been kept separate. For good stratigraphic evidence for the EM III and MM IA sequence in north-central Crete see also see Y. and E. Sakcllarakis’ recent publication on Archanes (n. 35).
57. S. Andreou, ‘Pottery Groups of the Old Palace Period in Crete’ (PhD diss., Univ. of Cincinnati 1978), 25, 68-9. Momigliano, ‘MM I A Pottery from Evans’ Excavations at Knossos’, (unpublished PhD thesis, University College London 1989), 221-31. Sec also Momigliano 1991, 226 (cup no. 26 from House B), Warren and Hankey (n. 35), 17-18.
58. Momigliano (n. 2); see also Momigliano 1991, 227 (nos. 60 and 61 from lower floor of House B); ead. and Wilson (n. 20), 45 fig. 27: P158 (Cycladic handle). For a recent discussion of the Early Cycladic III ‘gap’, and for a good Early Cycladic parallel for the Cycladic handle found in an EM III context during the 1993 excavations at Knossos, sec P. Sotirakopoulou, ‘The dating of Late Phylakopi I as evidenced at Akrotiri on Thera’, BSA 91 (1996), 113-36. See also Warren and Hankey (n. 35), 25-9.
59. On House C see A. J. Evans, ‘The palace of Knossos and its dependencies’, BSA II (1904-1905), 16-18, fig. 9; Momigliano 1991, 185-94 and MacGillivray 1998, 23.
60. N. Bonacasa, ‘Paterikies, una stazione Medio Minoica fra Hagia Triada c Festos’, ASAA, n.s. 29-30 (1968), 7-54 Andreou (n. 59); Momigliano (n. 59), 232-3; see also, most recently, MacGillivray 1998, 100-1.
61. Bonarasa (n. 62), 15; P. M. Warren, ‘Problems of chronology in Crete and the Aegean in the third and earlier second millennium’, AJA 84 (1980), 487-9910.2307/504077, at 491.
62. See C. Zerner, ‘The Beginning of the Middle Helladic Period at Lerna’ (PhD diss, Univ. of Cincinnati, 1978), p. 60 : D 596/10 (polychrome jar); p. 68: D 597/7 (carinated cup with barbotine decoration); p. 88: D 598/4 (cup, polychrome); p. 91: D 589/17 (jar with polychrome barbotine decoration); p. 97: D 590/3 (barbotine cup); p. 101: BD 410/7 (polychrome bowl); p. 124: BE 426/10 and 140: BE 429/8 (oval-mouthed amphorae). Cf. Momigliano (n. 2).
63. J. B. Rutter and C. Zerner, ‘Early Hellado-Minoan contacts’, in R. Hägg and N. Marinatos (eds), The Minoan Thalassocracy: Myth and Reality (Stockholm, 1984), 75-83, at 81.
64. The jar from Colin Macdonald's excavations (see n. 45) has been sampled by P. M. Day.