DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.8755#0068
Knossos Excavations, 1903. 57
as the wolves' or dogs' heads (Fig. 32), the small owls (Fig. 33), and the
Triton shells (Fig. 34) show a great fidelity to nature, in spite of the
necessarily imperfect character of the clay impressions.
Among the animated scenes represented, one of the most interesting
is the episode of the bull ring (No. 48) which curiously recalls the wall-
painting of the female toreadors.1 A youth is here seen turning a back
somersault over the neck of a bull behind which stands another figure with
one arm raised. The close parallelism between the two designs shows
in how near a relation the Minoan gem-engraver's art stood to that of the
painter. That the same close affinity existed between the glyptic art and
that of the sculptor of small reliefs as seen on the steatite vases is brought
out in a conspicuous manner by the pugilistic scene presented by No. 50.
This impression (Fig. 35), though unfortunately the whole of the design
has not been preserved, shows a highly athletic figure of a boxer standing
before a column, with a curious rectangular impost of a kind reproduced in
a building exhibited by one of the miniature wall-paintings, and again on
a small steatite relief to be described below. The attitude of the pugilist
himself is practically identical with that seen on the small steatite relief
found in the North-East Palace region.2 This comparison is now com-
pleted by the appearance on the lower zone of the magnificent steatite
rhyton discovered by the Italian Mission at Hagia Triada, of two helmeted
' gladiators ' both advancing to the left with a similar column between them.3
As in the scheme before us and the other Knossian design, they hold out
the left arm for defence while the right is drawn back as if about to deal
a blow. These pugilists wore a kind of boxing-glove and cestus, and a
trace of this may be detected on the right wrist of the figure in the present
seal impression.
Of striking novelty is another exciting scene (Fig. 36) in which a
man, standing in a light skiff, endeavours to repel the attack of a sea-
monster. It is not clear whether the boatman uses a weapon or an oar in
his defence. The sea-monster's head raised from the waves is of that dog-
like aspect associated from Homeric times onwards with Scylla. The
1 Compare, too, the seal impression found in 1902. Report, &c., 1902, p. 78, Fig. 43.
- Report, &c, 1901, p. 95, Fig. 31. a seal impression with a fuller design of the same kind
was found at Hagia Triada.
3 R. Paribeni, ' Lavori eseguiti dalla Missione Italiana nel Palazzo e nella necropoli di
Haghia Triada, 1903.' (Rendiconti delta R. Accademia dei Lincei, vol. xii. fasc. 70, p. 17). The
remains of an upper zone of this rhyton exhibit a hunting scene of wild bulls closely resembling
that of the Vapheio Cup.
as the wolves' or dogs' heads (Fig. 32), the small owls (Fig. 33), and the
Triton shells (Fig. 34) show a great fidelity to nature, in spite of the
necessarily imperfect character of the clay impressions.
Among the animated scenes represented, one of the most interesting
is the episode of the bull ring (No. 48) which curiously recalls the wall-
painting of the female toreadors.1 A youth is here seen turning a back
somersault over the neck of a bull behind which stands another figure with
one arm raised. The close parallelism between the two designs shows
in how near a relation the Minoan gem-engraver's art stood to that of the
painter. That the same close affinity existed between the glyptic art and
that of the sculptor of small reliefs as seen on the steatite vases is brought
out in a conspicuous manner by the pugilistic scene presented by No. 50.
This impression (Fig. 35), though unfortunately the whole of the design
has not been preserved, shows a highly athletic figure of a boxer standing
before a column, with a curious rectangular impost of a kind reproduced in
a building exhibited by one of the miniature wall-paintings, and again on
a small steatite relief to be described below. The attitude of the pugilist
himself is practically identical with that seen on the small steatite relief
found in the North-East Palace region.2 This comparison is now com-
pleted by the appearance on the lower zone of the magnificent steatite
rhyton discovered by the Italian Mission at Hagia Triada, of two helmeted
' gladiators ' both advancing to the left with a similar column between them.3
As in the scheme before us and the other Knossian design, they hold out
the left arm for defence while the right is drawn back as if about to deal
a blow. These pugilists wore a kind of boxing-glove and cestus, and a
trace of this may be detected on the right wrist of the figure in the present
seal impression.
Of striking novelty is another exciting scene (Fig. 36) in which a
man, standing in a light skiff, endeavours to repel the attack of a sea-
monster. It is not clear whether the boatman uses a weapon or an oar in
his defence. The sea-monster's head raised from the waves is of that dog-
like aspect associated from Homeric times onwards with Scylla. The
1 Compare, too, the seal impression found in 1902. Report, &c., 1902, p. 78, Fig. 43.
- Report, &c, 1901, p. 95, Fig. 31. a seal impression with a fuller design of the same kind
was found at Hagia Triada.
3 R. Paribeni, ' Lavori eseguiti dalla Missione Italiana nel Palazzo e nella necropoli di
Haghia Triada, 1903.' (Rendiconti delta R. Accademia dei Lincei, vol. xii. fasc. 70, p. 17). The
remains of an upper zone of this rhyton exhibit a hunting scene of wild bulls closely resembling
that of the Vapheio Cup.