DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.810#0019
396 'THE ROYAL VILLA': ITS DRAMATIC DISCOVERY
Repositories. They obviously represented the class of pottery still in vogue
when the house was rebuilt after the great catastrophe, and afford an exact
parallel to the presence of some M. M. Hid 'medallion' pitlioi in the
restored Magazines of the Palace and, again, in the 'North-East House'
described below.1 The earliest Late Minoan ceramic style had not yet
declared itself at the time when they were placed in this store-room.
There are indications that, besides the 'South-East House', a further series
of private dwellings of more or less contemporary date, starting from below
this, extended beneath the lower wall-lines of the Palace along the Eastern
slope. Approaching the point where the main built drain of the Domestic
Quarter found its issue down the steep, the incomplete and inarticulate
remains of another house are visible containing a small light-area, and North
of the exit below the East Bastion there are traces of other houses. It was,
however, still farther to the North along the slope that some chance indications
led to the discovery of a Minoan residence of quite exceptional interest.
The Royal Villa.
Well- Built into a cutting in the hill-side and overlooking the glen of the
5itgS^fn ancient Kairatos stream, there came to light, about a hundred metres N.N.E.
'Royal 0f the North-East Palace Angle, a Minoan house which, though it cannot
compare in size with the ' Little Palace ' described below, presents a specially
elegant aspect in its material and arrangements. The ' Royal Villa', as it
Its has been called, was discovered in a quite dramatic manner. Two pairs of
discovery protruding door-jambs at the foot of the steep bank below a mule path
having been brought out by autumn rains, an exploratory tunnel was started
between the more Northerly of these. By a fortunate coincidence this
followed the inner course of the original entrance passage, with a wall of
good masonry on the right side that helped to support the superincumbent
materials. At a distance of 5-70 metres, a double doorway appeared in this,
afterwards known to be the entrance of the principal Megaron, and the
tunnel was continued along the well-paved gangway till, at 980 metres, its
progress was stopped in this direction by the appearance of a crosswall, the
fine gypsum blocks of which, as seen by the light of our candles, had a very
promising appearance. A flight of gypsum stairs now appeared on the
left, up which our workmen mined their way to a landing ten steps up.
The remains had by now assumed such importance that no other course was
open to us, if the work was to be continued, than to divert the mule path to
the terrace level above by building a supporting wall 7 to 8 metres high.
1 See below, p. 415 seqq.
Repositories. They obviously represented the class of pottery still in vogue
when the house was rebuilt after the great catastrophe, and afford an exact
parallel to the presence of some M. M. Hid 'medallion' pitlioi in the
restored Magazines of the Palace and, again, in the 'North-East House'
described below.1 The earliest Late Minoan ceramic style had not yet
declared itself at the time when they were placed in this store-room.
There are indications that, besides the 'South-East House', a further series
of private dwellings of more or less contemporary date, starting from below
this, extended beneath the lower wall-lines of the Palace along the Eastern
slope. Approaching the point where the main built drain of the Domestic
Quarter found its issue down the steep, the incomplete and inarticulate
remains of another house are visible containing a small light-area, and North
of the exit below the East Bastion there are traces of other houses. It was,
however, still farther to the North along the slope that some chance indications
led to the discovery of a Minoan residence of quite exceptional interest.
The Royal Villa.
Well- Built into a cutting in the hill-side and overlooking the glen of the
5itgS^fn ancient Kairatos stream, there came to light, about a hundred metres N.N.E.
'Royal 0f the North-East Palace Angle, a Minoan house which, though it cannot
compare in size with the ' Little Palace ' described below, presents a specially
elegant aspect in its material and arrangements. The ' Royal Villa', as it
Its has been called, was discovered in a quite dramatic manner. Two pairs of
discovery protruding door-jambs at the foot of the steep bank below a mule path
having been brought out by autumn rains, an exploratory tunnel was started
between the more Northerly of these. By a fortunate coincidence this
followed the inner course of the original entrance passage, with a wall of
good masonry on the right side that helped to support the superincumbent
materials. At a distance of 5-70 metres, a double doorway appeared in this,
afterwards known to be the entrance of the principal Megaron, and the
tunnel was continued along the well-paved gangway till, at 980 metres, its
progress was stopped in this direction by the appearance of a crosswall, the
fine gypsum blocks of which, as seen by the light of our candles, had a very
promising appearance. A flight of gypsum stairs now appeared on the
left, up which our workmen mined their way to a landing ten steps up.
The remains had by now assumed such importance that no other course was
open to us, if the work was to be continued, than to divert the mule path to
the terrace level above by building a supporting wall 7 to 8 metres high.
1 See below, p. 415 seqq.