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)

170 OLIVE-TREES, SIGN OF OPEN COUNTRY

much resemble those of the M. M. II b ceramic example referred to above,
while the dotted stalk conveys a conventionalized reminiscence of the
budding sprays. (See Fig. HO.1)

It must be said that on the whole these details, and the parallels that
they evoke, give an archaic impression and incline us to place the execution
of this wall-painting well within the limits of M. M. III.

The other remains of olive-trees occurred above the roadway, from
about the middle of the Portico onwards, the principal piece being found at
the farther or Northern extremity of the terrace wall under Bastion A.
The painted surface in this was a good deal worn away, but the foliage
with its alternating green, red, and black tints was of much the same
character as the other. Here too the surface was slightly relieved, in this
case, in the form of a succession of oval bosses following the ramification of
the branches and twigs on which the leaves and stalks were painted. Of
the larger piece of this, that it was possible to put together,2 a part of the
upper ridged margin as well as the upper border on the right was preserved,
showing that it had formed the upper right-hand section of a large panel
with a wooden casing (Fig. 113).
Scene The insertion of olive-trees in this composition affords a valuable

indication that the bull-grappling scenes that it represented took place in
the open country in contradistinction with the acrobatic feats connected with
an artificial arena, or bull-rings, such as those seen on the fresco panels
to be described below, from the Eastern terrace of the Palace.

There can be little doubt that these painted plaster reliefs of olive-
trees, a fair proportion of which was in each case continuously preserved,
filled the ends of the terminal panels of a long composition of which remains
were brought to light at intervals on the same approximate level over
a length of about 13 metres. It is a remarkable fact that whereas the other
fragments found stood in no direct connexion with one another and seem to
have been casually swept together, a large part of these two trees showing
their exterior borders should in these cases have been deposited in positions
closely bordering what we may believe to have been their original place on
the wall. It seems possible that the terminal wall-section to the South and
North may have been more strongly compacted with a view to holding the
enclosed panels.

The principal remains of painted plaster fragments lay along the dotted
line across the elevation on the folding Plate, Fig. 114, as indicated by the

1 Reproduced from op. at., ii, Pt. II, p. 474, 2 The larger piece is 52-5 cm. high and

Fig. 281. 48-2 broad.

laid in
country.