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)

SPIRAL FRIEZE SYSTEM OF L. M. la DATE

281

the ' East Stairs' of the ' Middle E.-W. Corridor ' to which they led, had
also suffered considerable damage at this epoch. From a series of tests
undertaken by me in 1913 beneath the gypsum pavements of the ground-
floor, in the great Halls and adjoining area, it resulted that, though as
a whole this arrangement belonged to a time when no sherds later than
M. M. Ill b were about, there was visible in parts of this region a distinct
admixture of L. M. la pottery beneath the slabs raised for this examina-
tion. This was notably the case in both sections of the ' Queen's Megaron'
and in the adjoining Bath-room. It is fairly certain, indeed, that the
spiral frieze found partly in position in the latter room belongs to this Period
and with it must be included a whole series of remains of friezes—set
immediately above the gypsum dadoes—in a similar style. We must con-
clude that a good deal of superficial renovation, accompanied by a general
redecoration, was carried out at this time in these important Palace halls and
their borders. As will be later demonstrated, there is evidence that, on
the very eve of the final destruction of the building, a new scheme of
decoration in the latest Palace style (L. M. II), resembling that of the
' Room of the Throne', had been set in hand in the ' Domestic Quarter'.

Evidence
supplied
for dating
spiral
decora-
tion in
neigh-
bouring
halls.

FlG. 187 A.

Faience Flower-vases decorated with Ferns and Rose-leaf Spray : Temple
Repositories.