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)

32

THE TOMB OF THE DOUBLE AXES

eyes was found near, and it is natural to associate these objects with the cult of
the Dove Goddess.

With this head was a curious double vase (fig. 46), with plant and flower
designs of a conventional kind and foliate borders. The floral decoration of this
shows points of similarity with that on the large painted 'alabastron' from Tomb 3
(fig. 23, above). Scattered fragments of a small clay ' alabastron ' of this type were
found in the present tomb.

It will be seen that one part of this double vessel has a large mouth with
a number of small holes to serve the purposes of a strainer. The other half has

Fig. 46. Double vase from Tomb 6. (c. \)

an ordinary mouth above, the top of which was, however, broken. Between the
two recipients was a tubular connexion. It looks as if the broad mouth with
the strainer had been devised for dipping into water which might contain tad-
poles or other undesirable objects, animate or inanimate. The water could then
be poured from the other part of the vessel. Oriental ewers are, in fact, frequently
provided with strainers of this kind.

That this grave had once contained a richly mounted gold sword or dagger
was shown by the occurrence, a little east of the objects above referred to, of the
flat circular head of a bronze stud (o), coated with gold plating. It exactly
resembled the studs on the swords of the ' Chieftain's Grave ' at Zafer Papoura.1

1 J Prehistoric Tombs of Knossos, pp. 56, 57 (Archaeologia, lix).