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 2,1): Fresh lights on origins and external relations (London, 1928)

PARALLEL FIND AT HARAGEH

217

large jar and on the bowl (PI. IX, c 1, c 2) suggests that we have here the evi-
dence of a fashion in ceramic design which may be regarded as a peculiar mark
of Knossian fabric at this epoch. At the same time the absolute correspon-
dence of the Harageh fragment seems to justify the conclusion that the
vessel to which it belonged had been an actual import from Knossos. It
will be seen that a similar suggestion of origin is supplied by the impressed
design on the fragment illustrated in Fig. 119, a.

This 'racquet and ball' pattern on pottery itself affords another origin
example of the far-reaching influence of early seal-types. A favourite j^jaf"
device on these is one or more disks or circles from which springs a tangential looPs-

a be

Fig. 122. Loop and Disk Patterns {a, c, Tholos Ossuaries, Mesara ;
b, on Ritual Stone Vessel, Phaestos).

loop. Several examples of these, probably not later in date than E. M. Ill,
occur on ivory signets from the primitive ossuaries of Mesara (Fig. 122, a, c)l
and a good specimen of the two-looped form (Fig. 122, b) is supplied by an
incised ornament, inlaid with red, on a blue steatite bowl of ritual character
found in the sacellum off the West Court of the First Palace at Phaestos.2

Sometimes the revolving ' loops' are multiple, as on the steatite lentoid
(Fig. 123, a),z and it is interesting to observe that, here again, an early seal
pattern of Minoan Crete was the prototype of embossed designs on the gold
plates of the Mycenae Tombs. The medallion (Fig. 123, b), with a similar
design more symmetrically rendered, is taken from a diadem found in the
Fifth Shaft Grave.4 In the case of the loops on the seals we regularly find
a hatched decoration, sometimes crossed, and anticipating that of the ' tennis
racquet' on the polychrome vases.

1 Fig. 122, a and c, are from Platanos,
Xanthudides, Vaulted Tombs of Mesara,
PI. XV, 1074 (a), on an ivory 'cylinder', and
PI. XIII, 1341 (e) on a perforated ivory seal of
semicircular profile. Cf., too, PI. VIII, 680,
Kalathiana, and PI. XIII, 105 r, Platanos.
Dr. Xanthudides (adopting a suggestion of
Dr. Hadzidakis) suggests that these scrolls
are derived from figures of scorpions. They

seem, however, to have a simple geometrical
origin.

2 L. Pernier, Man. Ant., xiv, pp. 480, 481,
Fig. 87 and cf. p. 446 and Fig. 60, 3,

3 Xanthudides, 'Ej>. 'APX., 1907, PI. VIII,
137. The globular form of some of the loops
here is due to over use of the ' blunt point'
by the engraver.

4 Schliemann, Mycenae, p, 229, Fig. 337.