DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.807#0347
312
THE PALACE OF MINOS, ETC.
Painted
Relief of
Jewel
with Ne-
groid
Heads.
Libyan
Sources
of Gold.
Plaques
in Shape
of Scales.
the siege scene on the Minoan silver rhyton from Mycenae, was laid outside
Crete, in that case on the Anatolian side.
Another piece of contemporary evidence regarding connexions with
the further coast of the Libyan Sea is, moreover, to be found in a fragment
of a painted stucco relief, apparently belonging to the close of the succeeding
Period, showing- a man's hand—coloured red according- to the Minoan
canon 1—fingering a gold necklace with pendants in the form of heads of
negroid affinity, with large triple earrings (Fig. 231). It looks as if the gold
of the jewel itself may have come from
Nubia or some other African source. Nor
is it necessary to suppose that it came through
an Egyptian medium. Caravans consisting of
veiled representatives—Tuatis and others—
of the old Libyan stock still bear gold-dust
to the Tripoli markets from across Sahara.2
It is noteworthy that though the heads of
this necklace show certain negroid features
E3 yellow such as the curly black hair, thick lips, snub
red noses, and large ears, their colour is a tawny
black
Fig. 231. Pendant of Necklace
in form of Head with Negroid
Features (f-).
yellow like the gold. It is true that the
colour may be due to the original material of
the pendants having been of gold with inlays
in other materials. It is possible, however,
that we have here to do with members of some African race under negroid
influence rather than with actual niggers.
Among the plaques of the Town Mosaic, which were otherwise of
rectangular shapes, appears an exceptional and well-represented series
moulded in the form of scales, Fig. 228 /, j—and of a pale green hue.r:
The under sides of these were also abnormal in displaying on their lower
surface a double axe in relief. The marking of the material thus with the
1 The jewel seems to be attached to some
article of dress of a blue colour. To the left of
it is part of a lock of hair, presumably belonging
to the wearer of the necklace. It is illustrated
below, p. 526, Fig. 383, in connexion with the
painted plaster reliefs of the M.M, III Period.
2 I was a witness of this traffic at Tripoli
itself in 1897. In this case the gold-dust was
brought by inhabitants of the Oasis of Tuat,
some of them veiled in the Tuareer fashion.
3 An inherent feature of this conventional
pattern is the placing uppermost of the rounded
surface in contrast to the true scale motive, as
seen in armour, and the analogous feather
ornament such as we find in Egypt (Petrie,
Egyptian Decorative Art, p. 50 seqq.), where
the rounded border is, naturally, below. The
position of these scale inlays is shown by the
double axes on their lower surface.
THE PALACE OF MINOS, ETC.
Painted
Relief of
Jewel
with Ne-
groid
Heads.
Libyan
Sources
of Gold.
Plaques
in Shape
of Scales.
the siege scene on the Minoan silver rhyton from Mycenae, was laid outside
Crete, in that case on the Anatolian side.
Another piece of contemporary evidence regarding connexions with
the further coast of the Libyan Sea is, moreover, to be found in a fragment
of a painted stucco relief, apparently belonging to the close of the succeeding
Period, showing- a man's hand—coloured red according- to the Minoan
canon 1—fingering a gold necklace with pendants in the form of heads of
negroid affinity, with large triple earrings (Fig. 231). It looks as if the gold
of the jewel itself may have come from
Nubia or some other African source. Nor
is it necessary to suppose that it came through
an Egyptian medium. Caravans consisting of
veiled representatives—Tuatis and others—
of the old Libyan stock still bear gold-dust
to the Tripoli markets from across Sahara.2
It is noteworthy that though the heads of
this necklace show certain negroid features
E3 yellow such as the curly black hair, thick lips, snub
red noses, and large ears, their colour is a tawny
black
Fig. 231. Pendant of Necklace
in form of Head with Negroid
Features (f-).
yellow like the gold. It is true that the
colour may be due to the original material of
the pendants having been of gold with inlays
in other materials. It is possible, however,
that we have here to do with members of some African race under negroid
influence rather than with actual niggers.
Among the plaques of the Town Mosaic, which were otherwise of
rectangular shapes, appears an exceptional and well-represented series
moulded in the form of scales, Fig. 228 /, j—and of a pale green hue.r:
The under sides of these were also abnormal in displaying on their lower
surface a double axe in relief. The marking of the material thus with the
1 The jewel seems to be attached to some
article of dress of a blue colour. To the left of
it is part of a lock of hair, presumably belonging
to the wearer of the necklace. It is illustrated
below, p. 526, Fig. 383, in connexion with the
painted plaster reliefs of the M.M, III Period.
2 I was a witness of this traffic at Tripoli
itself in 1897. In this case the gold-dust was
brought by inhabitants of the Oasis of Tuat,
some of them veiled in the Tuareer fashion.
3 An inherent feature of this conventional
pattern is the placing uppermost of the rounded
surface in contrast to the true scale motive, as
seen in armour, and the analogous feather
ornament such as we find in Egypt (Petrie,
Egyptian Decorative Art, p. 50 seqq.), where
the rounded border is, naturally, below. The
position of these scale inlays is shown by the
double axes on their lower surface.