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 PALACE OF MINOS, ETC.

vessels, and is itself a striking proof of early relations with the further shores

of the Libyan Sea.

The M. M. I ceramic tradition is maintained and developed in several
Imita- directions. In cups like Fig. 178 1 we can still trace the imitation of the
tions of brilliant veins of breccia and marble vases that is so closely bound up with the

Breccia J r

Veining. origin of the polychrome style on pottery. Among the examples given in
Fig. 127 above of such imitative decoration, d, with white-spotted brown veins
on a buff ground, and probably also c, with white-edged red veins on a black
ground, belong to this Period. The bizarre striation of these is directly taken
over from the stone originals, and the white edging by which the veining is

Fig. 178. Restored Part of Egg-shell Fig. 179. Spouted Vase from Kamares Cave with

Cup, Knossos, with Imitation Breccia Painted Imitation of Conglomerate, (f)

Veining.

often accompanied is, as already pointed out, based on a natural characteristic
of the native breccia. This natural bordering was, moreover, taken over in
a generalized way on to many M. M. II polychrome designs, especially those
on a buff ground.2

A remarkable 'bridge-spouted' bowl, brought to light by the recent
excavations of the British School in the Kamares Cave (Fig. 179 3), seems
to represent some kind of conglomerate varied by what look like sections of
fossil sponges or madrepores. This must, however, be placed amongst the
latest fabrics of this Period (M. M. II b).

Many cups and bowls representing the early phase of M. M. II exhibit
a light ground throughout, on which appears a bizarre polychrome decora-

1 Compare, too, Fig 442, p. 602 below. 3 R. M. Dawkins, B. S. A., xix, PI. XII,

2 Cf. the Phaestian jar, Fig. 176 above. below, and cf. p. 23.