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)

M. M. II: ROYAL POTTERY STORES (CERAMIC PHASE a) 239

tion 1 of this ' stone-ware ' class. Some very beautiful egg-shell cups of which
fragments were found in the Royal Pottery Stores at Knossos, described
below, show this veining in dark-brown on the stippled, light ground with the
usual white borders, as suggested by the stone formation (Fig. 178).

The fine reproduction of the carinated contour and spotted decoration
of an early liparite bowl shown in Fig. 127./", above may also be referred
to this Period.

The ' barbotine ' or ' prickle ' ware, the rise of which has been noted

under M. M. I, seems to have
attained its highest develop-
ment in combination with a
brilliant polychromy about the
beginningof the present Period.
A group of representative
examples in this mature style
is given in Coloured Plate I,
though it may often be difficult
to say of individual specimens
on which side of the border
line between the First and
Second Middle Minoan Periods
they should be placed. The
pedestal of a ' fruit-stand ' from
the Basement of the Mono-
lithic Pillars at Knossos (a) is

Imitation
of

Liparite.

' Barbo-
tine'
Ware
combined
with

Advanced
Poly-
chromy.

interesting as illustrating" the

Fig. 180. Vase with Beetles in Relief (|). evolution of the arcade pattern

which plays an important role
in M.M. II ceramic design from flutings, in this case horizontally arranged.
The curious triangular object on this pedestal recurs on the elegant hole-
mouthed vase from the Kamares Cave (6)? where it is supposed by Mr.
Dawkins to represent a murex shell. The side of a pyxis found outside the
small tholos at Hagia Triada,3 here partly completed, is remarkable for
its decorative treatment of successive coloured bands.

An outgrowth of the 1 barbotine' style may be traced in the thorn-
like excrescences of a beautiful type of two-handled bowl or tazza

' Thorned
Bowls'.

1 See above, p. 178, Fig. 127, d, and cf. Dr.
Mackenzie, J. H. S., xxvi, p. 254, and PI. VIII
•(Coloured Figures).

2 Dawkins, B. S. A., xix, PI. IX and p. 20.

3 R. Paribeni, Man. Ant., xiv, p. 699.
PI. XLII, 3.