Figurines in bronze or ivory are rare during the period of the Mycenaean palaces. On the other hand, terracotta figures and figurines undergo considerable development and become one of the characteristic features of Mycenaean culture (seminal article by E. French, BSA 66, 1971, 101–87; see also Schallin 2009). Often very schematic, they are made in potters’ workshops and their decoration takes inspiration from that of pottery. Two categories can be distinguished based on technique and dimensions: small figurines that are handmade; and larger figures that are wheelmade or built up in coils.

With the exception of the simplest jewellery, the decline in precious metal objects in both tombs and palaces stands out in relation both to the preceding tradition and to the gold riches found at contemporary Near Eastern sites: for example, the royal tomb of Qatna on the Orontes, or the treasures of Tell el-Ayyul in the Levant. On Cyprus, a piece such as the famous falcon sceptre with inlaid decoration from Kourion could hardly be Mycenaean: neither the object itself, nor the falcon symbolism, nor the use of glass in various colours have Aegean parallels (E. Goring, in Morris 1995, 103–10). The strikingly beautiful gold pomegranate pendant from Enkomi, often considered to be Mycenaean, is probably also of Cypriot origin. However, the figure-of-eight shields on a necklace from Enkomi do show Mycenaean influence (Higgins 1981, figs. 217–18).

The pottery of middle minoan (MM) IA is related in various ways to earlier traditions; from a technical standpoint, it is the last period in which all pots are still made only by hand. But there are new shapes (Betancourt 1985, 71–7). The teapots with long necks of Early Minoan (EM) III disappear; the range of amphoras, cups (globular, conical, or cylindrical), pouring vessels (bridge-spouted or beaked), and goblets expands. One of the typical shapes of this period is the conical goblet, either footed (eggcup) or footless, common in the area around Knossos (Momigliano 2007, 94–103).

As with the figurines, marble vases mostly come from burials: they too form part of the set of prestige goods interred with the deceased. The commonest type from the beginning of the Early Cycladic (EC) is the ‘kandyli’ (the name is borrowed from the hanging oil lamps in Orthodox churches); these vessels can vary from 7 to 37 cm in height with a tall narrow neck, rounded belly in the shape of a sea urchin, and a small conical foot (AE1, fig. 85). Pierced horizontal lugs permit its suspension. The function is unclear; the interior is often very shallow, which makes it an unlikely drinking vessel (Getz-Gentle 1996, 38). Tall beakers have their precursors in stone or clay in the Final Neolithic period (Figure 5.2); now, though, they have a flat base and their lateral suspension lugs are less angular than in the Neolithic (AE1, fig. 86).

The period of around a century that begins c.1450 bc with the destruction of the Second Palaces on Crete is a pivotal time when the foundations of a new palatial civilisation develop on the mainland. It encompasses the ceramic phases Late Helladic (LH) IIB (roughly contemporary with Late Minoan (LM) II) (C. Hershenson, in Mendoni and Mazarakis-Ainian 1998, 161–8), LH/LM IIIA1, and the very beginning of LH/LM IIIA2. Fairly well delimited on Crete by the 1450 bc destructions and a major destruction of the final palace of Knossos c.1370 bc, it is harder to define precisely on the mainland where ceramic phases follow each other without visible break on most sites. Yet it is a new period for Mycenaean civilisation, during which artistic changes coincide with rapid social development.

This chapter introduces the handbook and outlines the volume’s organization, topics, themes, and intended audience. It clarifies the handbook’s goals of including both past and contemporary theory and practice as well as looking toward future trends in material culture studies. The authors discuss disciplinary contributions to material culture and provide the foundation for redefining the field’s relationship to disciplinarity. The guiding questions posed to contributing authors, what is material culture, and what are the implications of material culture scholarship, are presented. The chapter also introduces the geographic scope of the project, addressing and acknowledging differences and similarities that exist between the understanding of, framing of, and study of material culture in an international context.

This chapter explicates the diverse models scholars have developed to analyze cultural exchange in early modern material culture. With a focus on objects originating in Asia and Europe in the early modern period, the author considers environmental, cultural, technological, social, political, economic, and ideological approaches and factors

The shaft graves of mycenae, like the tholoi and the large chamber tombs of this period, have produced a considerable quantity of metalwork in gold, silver, or bronze, from weapons to jewellery and vessels. In this respect Grave Circles A and B can be compared to the great treasures of the Balkan Chalcolithic (the Varna cemetery: Ivanov 1978) or the Anatolian Early Bronze Age (Troy: Tolstikov and Treister 1996). Decorative styles are as varied as the forms that are found.

Along with frescoes, it is seals that best represent the Minoan art of this period: the richness of their iconographic repertoire is unmatched in the other arts. The growth in administrative activity entails an increase in their production; at Knossos, Zakros, and some villas like that of Haghia Triada this is reflected in the presence of archive deposits containing significant numbers of sealings. In total, nearly 2,000 seals and several hundred imprints allow for the study of Neopalatial glyptic – and this number is probably tiny compared to the total output. It has been estimated that at Knossos several thousand seals must have been in use at any one time (Krzyszkowska 2005, 119–53).

>The reconstruction of minoan sites destroyed c.1450 bc does not always happen immediately and often is limited to a reuse of earlier walls, with partial refurbishment. This is the case at Malia, where House Epsilon, a large Neopalatial residence to the south of the palace, is reoccupied in Late Minoan (LM) II without major modifications (A. Farnoux, in Driessen and Farnoux 1997, 135–47). It is only towards the beginning of LM IIIA2, after 1370 bc, that new architectural programmes are started, in particular at Haghia Triada.

Continuity with the previous period is best shown by terracotta figurines and figures; religious practices remain the same but popular cults grow, notably on Crete, where the most creative responses are found.

With the rise of digital technologies the number and diversity of related tools (such as phones, computers, 3-D printers, etc.) have markedly increased. This chapter examines how digital objects and other new technologies alter human experiences with the material world.

At the start of the Early Bronze Age (EBA) we see a lot of continuity with an earlier tradition of incised decoration on closed vessels such as cylindrical pyxides (globular or biconical), small jars with narrow necks (footed or footless), and kandylia. Such vases usually have lateral lugs, allowing for their suspension and attaching lids (Figure 11.1). An EC I globular pyxis from Naxos (AE1, fig. 97) whose shape, like some stone vases, mimics a sea urchin is completely covered in diagonal incised lines arranged in alternating bands (herringbone). This motif, which is very common in the EBA, could have been in imitation of basketry or textiles (Rambach 2000, vol. II, 175–80). The incisions are often infilled with white paste, producing a contrast with the burnished black or reddish vase surface.