DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.8755#0124
Knossos Excavations, 1903. 113
been existent throughout the Later Palace Period. These extremely com-
plex constructions find an as vet indefinite extension Westwards.1 It
thus appears that the Palace throughout its existence was flanked at a
distance of about ten metres from the Northern section of its Western
Wall, if not nearer, by a block of buildings intervening between its
Western Court and the paved area and primitive Theatre to the North.
Such a block of constructions, allowed to persist in immediate con-
tiguity to the Palace walls and wedged in between its Court, was neces-
sarily of the nature of a dependency. But of what kind ? Careful as have
been the recent explorations in this area, the solution of the problem still
presents elements of uncertainty. The whole mass of buildings is a medley of
small walled spaces affording none of the architectural clues as to their
object and interrelation supplied by the other structures on the Palace site.
There are none of the usual stone door-jambs ; there are not even door-open-
ings : there are no visible corridors, or light-wells, or windows. There are no
stairs, at least belonging to the Palace Period. Only in one single chamber
appears a column base. A diagonal wall line crossing part of the centre
of the block suggests some kind of division, perhaps of later construction,
but, whereas the Minoan houses found in the neighbourhood of the
Palace always show some free space, however narrow, around them, it is
impossible here to extract any separate entity. The whole is one
structural conglomeration.
The question naturally arises—why when the Later Palace was laid
out, should such a building as this, standing in immediate contiguity to
it and almost blocking the access from one Court to another,
have been allowed to persist ? That a great remodelling here took place
during the later period of the Palace is clear, but it was largely on older
lines. The earlier maze of constructions on this area was much pulled
about, but they were not, as throughout so large a part of the Western
Palace Wing, completely levelled away. One building succeeded another,
and the obstructive block was allowed to remain.
It looks as if some religious considerations must have underlain this
apparent anomaly. Did the site, perhaps, belong to a local sanctuary ?
It is certain that not only the extraordinary fineness of some of the
relics found in the cells and small chambers of the building, but other
more direct evidence supplied by the finds points to such a conclusion. A
1 It has been traced uninterruptedly in this direction over 40 metres.
I
been existent throughout the Later Palace Period. These extremely com-
plex constructions find an as vet indefinite extension Westwards.1 It
thus appears that the Palace throughout its existence was flanked at a
distance of about ten metres from the Northern section of its Western
Wall, if not nearer, by a block of buildings intervening between its
Western Court and the paved area and primitive Theatre to the North.
Such a block of constructions, allowed to persist in immediate con-
tiguity to the Palace walls and wedged in between its Court, was neces-
sarily of the nature of a dependency. But of what kind ? Careful as have
been the recent explorations in this area, the solution of the problem still
presents elements of uncertainty. The whole mass of buildings is a medley of
small walled spaces affording none of the architectural clues as to their
object and interrelation supplied by the other structures on the Palace site.
There are none of the usual stone door-jambs ; there are not even door-open-
ings : there are no visible corridors, or light-wells, or windows. There are no
stairs, at least belonging to the Palace Period. Only in one single chamber
appears a column base. A diagonal wall line crossing part of the centre
of the block suggests some kind of division, perhaps of later construction,
but, whereas the Minoan houses found in the neighbourhood of the
Palace always show some free space, however narrow, around them, it is
impossible here to extract any separate entity. The whole is one
structural conglomeration.
The question naturally arises—why when the Later Palace was laid
out, should such a building as this, standing in immediate contiguity to
it and almost blocking the access from one Court to another,
have been allowed to persist ? That a great remodelling here took place
during the later period of the Palace is clear, but it was largely on older
lines. The earlier maze of constructions on this area was much pulled
about, but they were not, as throughout so large a part of the Western
Palace Wing, completely levelled away. One building succeeded another,
and the obstructive block was allowed to remain.
It looks as if some religious considerations must have underlain this
apparent anomaly. Did the site, perhaps, belong to a local sanctuary ?
It is certain that not only the extraordinary fineness of some of the
relics found in the cells and small chambers of the building, but other
more direct evidence supplied by the finds points to such a conclusion. A
1 It has been traced uninterruptedly in this direction over 40 metres.
I