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 2,2): Town houses in Knossos of the new era and restored West Palace Section (London, 1928)

518 'LITTLE PALACE': TALL GYPSUM DOOR-JAMBS

structures. Such, more or less central, light-areas are of frequent occurrence
in Minoan house-plans, and recall the central open space in the early house
at Chamaezi.1

The two doorways of the passage room leading to this display an

Fig. 319. Doorway in'Little Palace', showing Tall Gypsum Door-jamhs.

High
gypsum
door-
jambs in
place of
wood.

interesting particularity shared by some others belonging to the beginning
of the New Era, those of the pillar basement of the South House, for
instance, and others preserved within the remains of two neighbouring
houses of the same date. The jambs are here entirely cut out of upright
gypsum blocks (Fig. 319), thus largely dispensing with the usual wood
and plaster framework. This may be taken as a sign of the times, when,
owing to the great demand for materials caused by the widespread work
of rebuilding, the demand for timber exceeded the supply, while gypsum
to an inexhaustible amount was at hand in the neighbouring quarries of
Gypsades. Over and above this exceptional demand, it may also be
suspected that we have here a symptom of a growing shortage of timber

1 J>.ofM,\,p. 147, Fig. 108.