Evans, Arthur: The ‘Tomb of the Double Axes’ and associated group, and the pillar rooms and ritual vessels of the ‘Little Palace’ at Knossos’ (London, 1914)

AND ASSOCIATED GROUP AT KNOSSOS

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which led to the finding of the present series of tombs go back to the very-
earliest Late Minoan phase, and even to within the borders of the latest Middle
M inoan Aire.

Tomb no. i. Built Chamber with Corbelled Vaulting, and Tomb i a.

The deep exploratory trench, excavated southwards along the foot of
the bank, from the point where the isolated deposit came to light, finally
led us, as already mentioned, to a built tomb, the dromos of which pointed north
along the line by which we had advanced. The back wall of this was first struck
at a distance of 55-50 metres south of the deposit. It is curious to note, according

Fis

Plan of later tomb (i a).

to the calculation made by Mr. Doll from the slope of the dromos, that the site
°f the deposit exactly corresponds with the point at which the entrance passage
Would have reached the level ground. This coincidence can hardly be accidental.

1 he tomb itself proved to be a built chamber-tomb of the same type as the
tvoyal 1 omb of Isopata,on a considerably smaller scale. It was oriented north and
south, with the entrance to the north, the dromos being set at a slightly different
^gle to the axis of the chamber. An interesting feature of its approach was
nat, at a time when it was already closed, a plain rock-cut chamber-tomb (1 a)
as made, of somewhat smaller dimensions, with its entrance passage at right
angles to that of the other, and its door opening in the west face of the earlier
ronios, and 1 i-8o metres north of the entrance of the built tomb. (See plan, fig. 9
pi. I). Its floor was about a metre below that of the dromos of the large
t0l*b at this point.