DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1117#0099
6o MINOAN ROADWAY; COMPARED WITH OTHERS
Compari-
sons with
other
Minoan
roads of
Crete and
of My-
cenae.
Small
chambers
under
roadways.
giving thus a mean breadth of about three metres for the roadway. The cen-
tral stepped slabbing, as it originally existed, is well illustrated by the pave-
ment of a similar ramp outside the West Porch. The terrace projection of the
enceinte wall on opening at right angles from the landing was 1-85 metres
broad, about the same as the middle section of the ramp, and the width of
the larger paved causeway, crossing the West Court above, 1 -40 metres.
It will be seen that the width of three metres, approximately attained
by the road running out West, is somewhat less than that of the main
Minoan roadways known to us. The old road indeed, already excavated,
leading from the ' Theatral Area' towards the 'Little Palace', shows a
central paved causeway consisting of two rows of slabs 68-5 centimetres
each in width, and giving a total width of 1-37 metres or practically the
same width as that above referred to, which runs from East to West across
the Southern end of the West Court. But to this must be added the two
cement-covered wings of the roadway, in each case 1-20 metres broad, so
that the whole width was 377 metres. This approximates to the width of
the section of the ' Great South Road ': on the Visala site which was round
about 4 metres, in some places not more than 3'8o metres. The central
paved way running up from the old bridge over the Vlychia brook, to the
South-East of the Palace, was about 3-50 metres.2
These measurements, it will be found, very nearly answer to the
average width of the Minoan roadways that ramify from the site of Mycenae.
A good example is supplied by the well-preserved remains near Agrilo
Vounaki, where the pavement between the outer edge of the causeway and
the inner terrace wall was, according to my own measurement, 370 metres.''
Another interesting point of resemblance to the road construction
about Mycenae came to light about five metres from the starting-point of
the ramp where it reaches the enceinte terrace. Here, on the ground level
of its Southern side, there is visible an opening in its supporting wall, the
two sides of which are formed by orthostatic blocks, and which must have
given entrance to a small chamber beneath the road pavement. Similar
small chambers exist at certain points beneath the Mycenae roads.
At 3-50 metres distance from their starting-point the supportin
x walls of
the road, which up to this point had run out due West from the line of the
Enceinte, took a slight South-Westerly turn. It is natural to suppose that
1 A section of this by the ' Temple Tomb', J Colonel Steffen's measurement near the
found in 1931, was 3-52 m. same spot was 3-58 m., Kartell von Mykenat,
2 P. of M., ii, Pt. I, pp. 150, 151, and Plan, Erlatitender Text, p. 10.
Fig. 77.
Compari-
sons with
other
Minoan
roads of
Crete and
of My-
cenae.
Small
chambers
under
roadways.
giving thus a mean breadth of about three metres for the roadway. The cen-
tral stepped slabbing, as it originally existed, is well illustrated by the pave-
ment of a similar ramp outside the West Porch. The terrace projection of the
enceinte wall on opening at right angles from the landing was 1-85 metres
broad, about the same as the middle section of the ramp, and the width of
the larger paved causeway, crossing the West Court above, 1 -40 metres.
It will be seen that the width of three metres, approximately attained
by the road running out West, is somewhat less than that of the main
Minoan roadways known to us. The old road indeed, already excavated,
leading from the ' Theatral Area' towards the 'Little Palace', shows a
central paved causeway consisting of two rows of slabs 68-5 centimetres
each in width, and giving a total width of 1-37 metres or practically the
same width as that above referred to, which runs from East to West across
the Southern end of the West Court. But to this must be added the two
cement-covered wings of the roadway, in each case 1-20 metres broad, so
that the whole width was 377 metres. This approximates to the width of
the section of the ' Great South Road ': on the Visala site which was round
about 4 metres, in some places not more than 3'8o metres. The central
paved way running up from the old bridge over the Vlychia brook, to the
South-East of the Palace, was about 3-50 metres.2
These measurements, it will be found, very nearly answer to the
average width of the Minoan roadways that ramify from the site of Mycenae.
A good example is supplied by the well-preserved remains near Agrilo
Vounaki, where the pavement between the outer edge of the causeway and
the inner terrace wall was, according to my own measurement, 370 metres.''
Another interesting point of resemblance to the road construction
about Mycenae came to light about five metres from the starting-point of
the ramp where it reaches the enceinte terrace. Here, on the ground level
of its Southern side, there is visible an opening in its supporting wall, the
two sides of which are formed by orthostatic blocks, and which must have
given entrance to a small chamber beneath the road pavement. Similar
small chambers exist at certain points beneath the Mycenae roads.
At 3-50 metres distance from their starting-point the supportin
x walls of
the road, which up to this point had run out due West from the line of the
Enceinte, took a slight South-Westerly turn. It is natural to suppose that
1 A section of this by the ' Temple Tomb', J Colonel Steffen's measurement near the
found in 1931, was 3-52 m. same spot was 3-58 m., Kartell von Mykenat,
2 P. of M., ii, Pt. I, pp. 150, 151, and Plan, Erlatitender Text, p. 10.
Fig. 77.