THE POTTERY DEPOSIT FROM THE HOUSES OF THE FALLEN BLOCKS AND THE SACRIFICED OXEN AT THE SOUTH-EASTERN CORNER OF THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS

Iro Mathioudaki

doi:10.1017/S0068245418000059

THE POTTERY DEPOSIT FROM THE HOUSES OF THE FALLEN BLOCKS AND THE SACRIFICED OXEN AT THE SOUTH-EASTERN CORNER OF THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 January 2019

Iro Mathioudaki

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Iro Mathioudaki*: Affiliation:
Université catholique de Louvain
*: iro.mathioudaki@gmail.com

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Abstract

This contribution focuses on a study of the pottery assemblage deposited in the space occupied by the House of the Fallen Blocks and the House of the Sacrificed Oxen at the south-eastern corner of the Palace of Knossos. This deposit was crucial for Arthur Evans’ definition of the ‘Great Earthquake’ destruction at Knossos, because, together with fallen blocks, it was considered to be the consequence of a massive destruction. From the outset, the deposit associated with this event has played a de facto role in the definition of the New Palace era, and, in this respect, it is very important with regards to the history of the Palace of Knossos. There is no sign of stratification above the floor levels of the houses, with the material of the deposit usually interpreted as a post-destruction fill. The abundance of ceramic material and the broad representation of forms prompted Evans to call this deposit a storehouse of Middle Minoan (MM) III domestic pottery. Here, the nature of the deposit will be examined, taking into consideration information from the excavation notebooks and a detailed study of the retained pottery. The main conclusion is that the material is not MM IIIB as ascribed by Evans, but can be dated to an earlier part of the period, i.e. MM IIIA. This is significant because it might contribute to a critical reassessment of the destruction horizon generally attributed to MM IIIB. The large quantities of pottery from these houses also provide a fuller picture of what types and styles were prevalent in MM IIIA, given that there are not many published deposits of this date from the palace or town of Knossos.

Η κεραμεική απόθεση των οικιών των Πεσμένων Ογκολίθων και Θυσιασθέντων Βοών στη νοτιοανατολική γωνία του ανακτόρου της Κνωσού

Το άρθρο αυτό επικεντρώνεται στη μελέτη της κεραμεικής απόθεσης που βρέθηκε στο χώρο των οικιών των Πεσμένων Ογκολίθων και Θυσιασθέντος Βοών στη νοτιοανατολική γωνία του ανακτόρου της Κνωσού. Η απόθεση αυτή υπήρξε ουσιώδης για τον ορισμό του ‘Μεγάλου Σεισμού’ από τον Έβανς, γιατί σε συνδυασμό με τους πεσμένους λαξευτούς λίθους, θεωρήθηκε ως η συνέπεια μιας μαζικής καταστροφής. Η απόθεση ως μάρτυρος ενός τέτοιου γεγονότος έπαιξε ουσιαστικό ρόλο στον ορισμό της Νέας Ανακτορικής εποχής εξαρχής από τον ίδιο τον Έβανς και, ως εκ τούτου, είναι ιδιαιτέρως σημαντική για την ιστορία του ανακτόρου της Κνωσού. Δεν υπάρχουν ενδείξεις στρωματογραφίας πάνω από το επίπεδο των δαπέδων. Η πληθώρα κεραμεικού υλικού και το ιδιαίτερο ρεπερτόριο σχημάτων οδήγησε τον Έβανς στη θεώρηση της απόθεσης ως «αποθήκης ΜΜ ΙΙΙ οικιστικής κεραμεικής». Εδώ διερευνάται ο χαρακτήρας της απόθεσης σύμφωνα με τις πληροφορίες που περιέχονται στο ημερολόγιο της ανασκαφής και τα στοιχεία της κεραμεικής μελέτης. Η βασική συμβολή της μελέτης είναι ότι η κεραμεική δεν χρονολογείται στη ΜΜ ΙΙΙΒ, αλλά στο πρωιμότερο στάδιο της ΜΜ ΙΙΙΑ περιόδου. Αυτό είναι ένα σημαντικό πόρισμα καθώς εν δυνάμει συμβάλει στην επαναχρονολόγηση ενός γεγονότος που έπαιξε σημαντικό ρόλο στην ιστορία της Κνωσού. Οι μεγάλες ποσότητες κεραμεικής από τις οικίες μας δίνουν επίσης μια πληρέστερη εικόνα της τυπολογίας που επικρατούσε στην ΜΜ ΙΙΙΑ περίοδο, δεδομένου ότι δεν έχουμε στη διάθεσή μας πολλές δημοσιευμένες αποθέσεις κεραμεικής από το ανάκτορο ή την πόλη της Κνωσού.

Type: Articles
Information: Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 113 , November 2018 , pp. 19 - 73

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068245418000059 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 2019

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