DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.8755#0032
Knossos Excavations, 1903. 21
must in any case be referred to a time closely following its foundation.1
Their ceramic associations as we see are frankly Middle Minoan, though
they may perhaps be more exactly expressed as ' Middle Minoan II.'
Another interesting consequence of this conclusion is that already by
the close of the Middle Minoan Period the gem engraver's art had attained
a very high degree of naturalism. This is shown by the occurrence in
Fig. 10.—Clay Sealing with Decorative Scrolls : Middle Minoan (;).
1 It must be borne in mind that the evidence as to the exact stage of culture existent at the time
■of the foundation of the Later Palace is not so clear as that which illustrates the close of its First
Period. The ceramic and other relics found immediately below the remodelled floors belonging to
the Second Period of this Palace sufficiently declare the character of its culture in the middle stage
of its history—at the close, that is, of its First Period. We see there a more or less transitional
phase which may conveniently be termed Late Minoan I. On the other hand immediately below
the original floors of the first Palace we find, as under the Olive Press Room, the finest products of
the ' Middle Minoan' Ceramic Style. It seems probable that this phase was still existent at the
time of the foundation of the Later Palace. It even appears that the pictographic characters of
seal impressions found in the deposits below the original floors of the Later Palace are somewhat
more archaic than those of the Magazine containing the clay documents of this class. This fact
seems to weigh in favour of the second hypothesis mentioned in the text, that this pictographic
deposit, namely, was covered in owing to some alteration of structure that took place soon after
the foundation of the Later Palace. It may be possible to describe the last phase of the culture of
the Earlier Palace as ' Middle Minoan I.' and the first of the Later Palace as ' Middle Minoan II.'
must in any case be referred to a time closely following its foundation.1
Their ceramic associations as we see are frankly Middle Minoan, though
they may perhaps be more exactly expressed as ' Middle Minoan II.'
Another interesting consequence of this conclusion is that already by
the close of the Middle Minoan Period the gem engraver's art had attained
a very high degree of naturalism. This is shown by the occurrence in
Fig. 10.—Clay Sealing with Decorative Scrolls : Middle Minoan (;).
1 It must be borne in mind that the evidence as to the exact stage of culture existent at the time
■of the foundation of the Later Palace is not so clear as that which illustrates the close of its First
Period. The ceramic and other relics found immediately below the remodelled floors belonging to
the Second Period of this Palace sufficiently declare the character of its culture in the middle stage
of its history—at the close, that is, of its First Period. We see there a more or less transitional
phase which may conveniently be termed Late Minoan I. On the other hand immediately below
the original floors of the first Palace we find, as under the Olive Press Room, the finest products of
the ' Middle Minoan' Ceramic Style. It seems probable that this phase was still existent at the
time of the foundation of the Later Palace. It even appears that the pictographic characters of
seal impressions found in the deposits below the original floors of the Later Palace are somewhat
more archaic than those of the Magazine containing the clay documents of this class. This fact
seems to weigh in favour of the second hypothesis mentioned in the text, that this pictographic
deposit, namely, was covered in owing to some alteration of structure that took place soon after
the foundation of the Later Palace. It may be possible to describe the last phase of the culture of
the Earlier Palace as ' Middle Minoan I.' and the first of the Later Palace as ' Middle Minoan II.'