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 3): The great transitional age in the northern and eastern sections of the Palace (London, 1930)

138

'SARCOPHAGAL ART'

Marine
subjects
on signet-
rings.

De-
scending
God on
' larnax'.

Offertory
scenes on
H. Triada
sarco-
phagus.

a walled temenos, and its source sheltered by three trees within a little
enclosure.1 Such a spring, as we now know, existed at Mavro Spelio
on the height East of Knossos, in immediate contiguity with a very
early series of rock tombs.2 Its inner channels and artificially cut basin,
beneath the rock shelter at its point of emergence, are still visible, and
fig-trees, such we may imagine are indicated within the little upper en-
closure of the intaglio, still shoot from the rock. But the water itself, the falls
of which from the height seem to be indicated on the ring by the central
upright line of dots, has long disappeared—another evidence of the desiccating
process that has affected the Cretan climate since Minoan days.

Another class of these gold signet-rings displays religious scenes of
a marine character.3 On one we see the advent of the Goddess in her
barque at some sanctuary on the coast, bearing with her her sacred tree.
On another signet-ring, from the Harbour Town of Knossos, her barque is
putting off from the site of her pillar-shrine, while above it, waving farewell
to votaries on the shore, the Goddess and her sacred tree beside her appear
as if floating in the air.4 The sacred tree itself, generally within a pillared
enclosure, is a constantly recurring feature.

It is an interesting circumstance that—together with the fresco panel
from Mycenae—a near parallel in painted design to the descending figure
with the body-shield is supplied by a clay sarcophagus or ' larnax' of
L. M. Ill b date, from a chamber tomb at Ligortino in the Knossian back-
country. On the other hand, of actual fresco painting on a sarcophagus, a
unique example is supplied by that of L. M. Ilia date from the Hagia
Triada tholos? Here, on a scale once more distinctly greater than that of
the ' Miniatures', we see scenes of offering and sacrifice in honour both of the
Double Axes, with the settled birds as in divine possession,6 and apparently
of the departed himself. It is to be noted, moreover, that in this case the
arrangement of the painted designs shows a curious conformity with many of
these signet types. The action, in fact, is directed to two separate goals on
the right and left extremity respectively, so that there are really two scenes,
the background itself being divided into three fields, white, blue, and white—
a variation characteristic of larger frescoes on walls of halls and corridors.

1 In my Myc. Tree and Pillar Cult, pp. 85,
86 (J. H. S., xxi, pp. 182, 183). I had suggested
that the line of dots might represent a path
descending from a summit sanctuary.

2 See E. J. Forsdyke, The Mavro Spelio
Cemetery at Knossos(B. S.A., xxx),p. 243 seqq.,
and see Plan, p. 249, Fig. 3.

s See P. of M., ii, Pt. I, p. 245 seqq.

4 Ibid., p. 250, Fig. 147, a, b.

'- Ibid., i, p. 438 seqq., and Figs. 316, 317 (cf.
Paribeni, Mon. Ant., xix, Plates I—III, and
pp. 5-86).

6 See P. of M., i, p. 223.