DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.809#0132
'CARAVANSERAI' BY ROAD-HEAD 107
sistency to the clay was clearly visible. At many places throughout the base-
ment area there also occurred fallen fragments of the fine cement pavement
(tarazza*) belonging to the story above. This cement, with its underlying
coating of red earth and its smooth surface packed with minute water-worn
pebbles, is the same as that which occurs in the Palace light-wells, but in this
case—quite exceptionally—it had been used in place of the ordinary pavement
for the floors of the upper rooms. In the neighbouring Pavilion, indeed,
it is thus seen in situ, the polished surface of the stones giving a variegated
effect. Besides these fragments representing the pavements of the rooms
above, there were others of a different class unquestionably derived from the
roof construction of the first-floor rooms, and showing that there was only
one upper story along this section of the building, with a roof terrace above.
In this case the tarazza, though of the same composition above as that of
the floors, shows a backing of bluish black clay of a specially impermeable
kind, known as leptda, still in general use among the Cretan peasants for the
roofs of houses.2 In the North-East part of the basement area were also
found many fragments of fine white-faced stucco and others of a brilliant
' kyanos' blue colour, belonging to the walls of upper rooms.
At 8-50 metres distance from the outer wall-line of the basement area
the floor-levels step up, so that the constructions beyond that terrace line
belong to the same piano nobile as the Pavilion and the upper-story rooms Piano
East of it. It will be seen from the Plan, Fig. 48, that an older system no l *'
underlies this terrace level, with a solid block of wall, more massive than those
of the later building, and running at a divergent angle. The remains of the
constructions on this higher level being nearer the surface had been very
much denuded, and various tests made gave little promise of any satisfactory
result being obtainable from further excavations on this side. At the East
end of the system, however, the outline of a rectangular walled enclosure
was brought out, within which, resting on the remains of the earlier wall,
was a roughly rounded block with a flat face which had evidently supported
a column-base, about 60 cm. in diameter. This in all probability bordered
a light-well belonging to some important hall on that side, though whether
there were originally more bases of columns must remain uncertain.
1 Tapdro-a is the Romaic form. at the S.E. Palace Angle are described below,
2 Good examples of this roof cement found p. 327, Fig. 185.
sistency to the clay was clearly visible. At many places throughout the base-
ment area there also occurred fallen fragments of the fine cement pavement
(tarazza*) belonging to the story above. This cement, with its underlying
coating of red earth and its smooth surface packed with minute water-worn
pebbles, is the same as that which occurs in the Palace light-wells, but in this
case—quite exceptionally—it had been used in place of the ordinary pavement
for the floors of the upper rooms. In the neighbouring Pavilion, indeed,
it is thus seen in situ, the polished surface of the stones giving a variegated
effect. Besides these fragments representing the pavements of the rooms
above, there were others of a different class unquestionably derived from the
roof construction of the first-floor rooms, and showing that there was only
one upper story along this section of the building, with a roof terrace above.
In this case the tarazza, though of the same composition above as that of
the floors, shows a backing of bluish black clay of a specially impermeable
kind, known as leptda, still in general use among the Cretan peasants for the
roofs of houses.2 In the North-East part of the basement area were also
found many fragments of fine white-faced stucco and others of a brilliant
' kyanos' blue colour, belonging to the walls of upper rooms.
At 8-50 metres distance from the outer wall-line of the basement area
the floor-levels step up, so that the constructions beyond that terrace line
belong to the same piano nobile as the Pavilion and the upper-story rooms Piano
East of it. It will be seen from the Plan, Fig. 48, that an older system no l *'
underlies this terrace level, with a solid block of wall, more massive than those
of the later building, and running at a divergent angle. The remains of the
constructions on this higher level being nearer the surface had been very
much denuded, and various tests made gave little promise of any satisfactory
result being obtainable from further excavations on this side. At the East
end of the system, however, the outline of a rectangular walled enclosure
was brought out, within which, resting on the remains of the earlier wall,
was a roughly rounded block with a flat face which had evidently supported
a column-base, about 60 cm. in diameter. This in all probability bordered
a light-well belonging to some important hall on that side, though whether
there were originally more bases of columns must remain uncertain.
1 Tapdro-a is the Romaic form. at the S.E. Palace Angle are described below,
2 Good examples of this roof cement found p. 327, Fig. 185.