Evans, Arthur J.: The Palace of Minos: a comparative account of the successive stages of the early Cretan civilization as illustred by the discoveries at Knossos (Band 1): The Neolithic and Early and Middle Minoan Ages (London, 1921)

THE MINOAN AGE

7

early racial type supplied by such sources as the Hittite reliefs of Gods Early
and princes points to the widespread existence in Eastern and Central deranceof
Asia Minor of a race still represented by the modern Armenians and pro- ^haSsin
nounceclly brachycephalic.1 Corroborative materials of early date from South- Asia
West Asia Minor, where Hittite monuments fail us, are still for the most part
to seek. The modern population of Lykia and adjacent islands, according to
Dr. von Luschan's observations,2 presents two distinct elements, hypsibrachy-
cephalic and dolichocephalic, but what seem to be the oldest representatives
of the indigenous stock belong to the former high, short-headed class, of
Armenoicl affinities.The 'long heads', on the other hand, come into
prominence in the maritime tracts, and comprise a considerable section of
the Greek-speaking population. That dolichocephalic types, closely parallel
to those of Minoan Crete, early existed on the Western shores of Asia Minor
is shown by their occurrence in the Third Settlement at Hissarlik.4

In Crete skulls of the Neolithic Age are still wanting. From the
earliest Minoan Age onwards, however, the evidence is continuous, and tends But of

* Dolicho
to show that, though from the beginning of it a brachycephalic element cephals°in

existed in the island, whether the earliest or not is uncertain, over half the Crete-

skulls were dolichocephalic and about a third mesocephalic.5 Towards the

close of the Minoan Age the proportion of brachycephals, due probably to the

1 See especially Dr. Felix von Luschan's 5 Boyd Dawkins, B. School Annual, vii,
observations, summarized in his Huxley Lecture pp. 150-5 : W. L. H. Duckworth, ib., ix,
for 1911, on The Early Inhabitants of Asia pp. 340-55 ; C. H. Hawes, ib., xi, pp. 296,
Minor [Anthr. Inst. Journ., xli). Dr. von 297 ; Burrows, Discoveries in Crete, pp. 166,
Luschan there shows that the type formerly 167; Mosso Escursioni nel Mediterraneo
termed by him ' Armenoid' practically coin- (1907), pp. 275, 276. Sergi's examination of
cides with the Hittite. This type, as he had three skulls from the Sub-Minoan Cemetery
already pointed out in 1902, (id. p. 242), is at Lrganos (American Journ. of Archaeology, v,
the basis of the later Jewish and so-called igor, pp. 315-18), shows a survival of simi-
' Semitic' type as distinguished from the pure lar tendencies. They were either dolicho-
Arab. cephalic or mesocephalic. These results have

2 'Die Tachtadschy und andere Ueberreste now been confirmed by the comprehensive
der alten Bevolkerung Lykiens' (Archiv fiir measurements of von Luschan, ' Beitrage zur
Anthropologic, xix, 1891, p. 31 seqq). The Anthropologic von Kreta.'(Zeitschr.f.Ethnologie,
single old Lykian skull examined by Dr. Heft 3. 1913. p. 307 seqq.), The percentages
Luschan from a grave at Limyra (op. cit,, for the Middle Minoan skulls, for instance, are :
p. 43 seqq.) resembles the Tachtadji type. Duckworth 65-3 dolichocephals, 26-15 rneso-

3 Such as the Tachtadji or Mahometan cephals, 8-55 brachycephals : von Luschan 58-8
wood-cutters and the Bektashi sectaries. dolichocephals, 35-3 mesocephals, 5-9 brachy-

4 See Prof. Boyd Dawkins, B. School cephals. The results obtained by von Luschan
Annual, vii, pp. 152, 153. and Hawes with regard to the modern Cretans

also show a remarkable correspondence.