DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.809#0400
THE SOUTH HOUSE 373
only inner walls showing ashlar construction are those of light-areas, the Royal
Villa gives us an example of a pillar-room and staircase walls built of fine
gypsum blocks, in the latter case coated with red-faced stucco. It is to be
noted in reference to the less rubbly character of many of the interior walls
of these private houses that there was a greater tendency than in the
reconstructed West Section of the new Palace to adhere to the old practice
of lining the lower part of the walls with gypsum dado slabs instead of
covering the whole wall with painted stucco.
The South House.
Both from its position and the extent of its remains the ' South House' impor-
may claim a first place amongst the private residences now built in the area 'south
immediately surrounding the Palace. Its North-West angle, at its first-floor House',
level, actually cut into the foundations of the upper section of the old
' Stepped Portico' near the point where it abutted on the former South-
western entrance of the Palace.1 Part of its back-yard, on the other hand, its intru-
was carved out of the line of the original South Corridor, which the Earth- ^n on
quake had entirely ruined—the cliff forming the back of the clay cutting being Palace
faced by a dry walling (see Plan, Fig. 208). The position of the house, as is
shown in Fig. 44 on p. 94, where it appears on the left, was of great amenity ;
it overlooked the glen of the Vlychia stream, and faced on its farther side the
massive piers of the Viaduct and the decorative facade of the ' Caravanserai',
with the peak of J uktas peering above the opposite hill of Gypsades.
Into the yard behind (see Fig. 207) there had further fallen at the time Palatial
of the final catastrophe of the Palace blocks of masonry and debris, including foeunr^ ;n
fragments of fresco designs from the Corridor of the Procession and other ba<*"
. & yard.
neighbouring parts of the great building. With these were remains of large
jars in the Palace Style, some of them presenting Double Axes, and others
with octopus designs and conventional papyrus and rosettes. Level with
the second course of the North wall of the House, there occurred a lapis
lazuli ring-stone with a gold setting, the intaglio on which showed a male stone box
personage leading a lion. It was of Late Minoan work, and may, like the w0ls^t „f"
jar fragments, have been derived from the Palace. Near this, in the direction tesserae m
of the back wall, an object came to light of a quite unprecedented character, materials.
It had the appearance of a small rough limestone block, but it was found to
be in two pieces, the lower of which had a square hollow containing
triangular tesserae, such as might have been used for a mosaic, of various
materials. These included plain and smoked rock crystal, amethyst, beryl
1 See above, p. 162, Fig. 82.
only inner walls showing ashlar construction are those of light-areas, the Royal
Villa gives us an example of a pillar-room and staircase walls built of fine
gypsum blocks, in the latter case coated with red-faced stucco. It is to be
noted in reference to the less rubbly character of many of the interior walls
of these private houses that there was a greater tendency than in the
reconstructed West Section of the new Palace to adhere to the old practice
of lining the lower part of the walls with gypsum dado slabs instead of
covering the whole wall with painted stucco.
The South House.
Both from its position and the extent of its remains the ' South House' impor-
may claim a first place amongst the private residences now built in the area 'south
immediately surrounding the Palace. Its North-West angle, at its first-floor House',
level, actually cut into the foundations of the upper section of the old
' Stepped Portico' near the point where it abutted on the former South-
western entrance of the Palace.1 Part of its back-yard, on the other hand, its intru-
was carved out of the line of the original South Corridor, which the Earth- ^n on
quake had entirely ruined—the cliff forming the back of the clay cutting being Palace
faced by a dry walling (see Plan, Fig. 208). The position of the house, as is
shown in Fig. 44 on p. 94, where it appears on the left, was of great amenity ;
it overlooked the glen of the Vlychia stream, and faced on its farther side the
massive piers of the Viaduct and the decorative facade of the ' Caravanserai',
with the peak of J uktas peering above the opposite hill of Gypsades.
Into the yard behind (see Fig. 207) there had further fallen at the time Palatial
of the final catastrophe of the Palace blocks of masonry and debris, including foeunr^ ;n
fragments of fresco designs from the Corridor of the Procession and other ba<*"
. & yard.
neighbouring parts of the great building. With these were remains of large
jars in the Palace Style, some of them presenting Double Axes, and others
with octopus designs and conventional papyrus and rosettes. Level with
the second course of the North wall of the House, there occurred a lapis
lazuli ring-stone with a gold setting, the intaglio on which showed a male stone box
personage leading a lion. It was of Late Minoan work, and may, like the w0ls^t „f"
jar fragments, have been derived from the Palace. Near this, in the direction tesserae m
of the back wall, an object came to light of a quite unprecedented character, materials.
It had the appearance of a small rough limestone block, but it was found to
be in two pieces, the lower of which had a square hollow containing
triangular tesserae, such as might have been used for a mosaic, of various
materials. These included plain and smoked rock crystal, amethyst, beryl
1 See above, p. 162, Fig. 82.