Evans, Arthur J.: The Palace of Minos: a comparative account of the successive stages of the early Cretan civilization as illustred by the discoveries at Knossos (Band 4,1): Emergence of outer western enceinte, with new illustrations, artistic and religious, of the Middle Minoan Phase (London, 1935)

MUREX SHELL ON 'AMPHORA'

3°7

transverse positions is not unpicturesque. This may also be said of the
closely similar design of Fig. 242, of the same provenance,1 where the

Fig. 241. Mujrex Shell in Sand-girt Pool, beside Octopus on
'Amphora', Fig. 240.

octopus—arranged in a similar slanting position—is again represented with
only six arms. The suckers have here entirely disappeared.

Patches of the stippled sand motive are shown, but the little islets of
these seen between the tentacles in Fig. 240 are here replaced by an
ornament consisting of a triple group ofC's, with accompanying dots, which,
as will be shown below, are of great interest in their relation to the decora-
tive evolution of the earlier marine elements.

On the amphora, Fig. 243, from the ' Royal Tomb' at Isopata,3 where

a six-armed octopus is again seen embedded in surrounding stipple-work, the

same symbol appears in its simplest form, without clots, enclosed in a double

' In the Candia Museum. p. 156, PI. C, and Fig. 141 b; As restored,

Preh, Tombs of ICnossos {Archaeologia, lix). its height is 67-5 cm.: diam. 49-5 cm.