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)

658

THE PALACE OF MINOS, ETC.

Specia-
lized

character
of Signs
on Disk.

tion between the character of many of the pictorial signs that appear on the
Disk and that of the Cretan hieroglyphs. This is specially apparent in the
human subjects. In the latter case we see a man as such, standing or seated,
and various parts of the body such as the eye, leg, hands, and arms in
different poses, and elements of this kind are universal ingredients of
primitive pictographic signaries. On the Disk, however, this generic class
is replaced by a specialized group, created, as it were, ad hoc.

As already remarked, the head with a plumed crest cannot be regarded as

representing a ' man's head '
in general, but has a distinct
ethnic application. It is at
least doubtful whether the
marching- or running figure,
No. i, can be regarded as an
ordinary ' man ' sign. The
round shield with which it is
coupled emphasizes this limi-
tation. In the same way the
head, No. 3, with the 8-shaped
marks on his cheeks obviously
illustrates a fashion of some
particular tribe or race. So
too in the 'woman' sign, No. 6,
we see a female form of
specific character and cos-
tume. The ' captive ' seen in
No. 4 may be reasonably
referred to this special and
topical class, and with it the
'manacles', No. 14, may be interpreted in an ideographic sense. The
fist with the cestus thong, No. 8, may be directly connected, as in
Minoan Crete, with a specific class of agonistic contests held in
honour of the Great Goddess. The 'tiara', again, No. 9, must also in
all probability be taken to refer to some contemporary sacerdotal office.
The 'ship' sign, No. 25, with the arrow on the prow, would also seem to
have a definite application. In other words, in the case of the most important
group of signs found on the Disk, we have not to do with conventionalized
pictographs of ancient derivation but with graphic figures reproducing con-
temporary costumes and accoutrement. It follows from this that we must

Fig. 487. Facade of Rock Tomb, Myra.