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 4,1): Emergence of outer western enceinte, with new illustrations, artistic and religious, of the Middle Minoan Phase (London, 1935)

90

INCISED CLAY BOXES {PYXIDES)

As upon other Cycladic

am

IIP

us, a marked distinction is at once observable,
pots, the graffito decoration—generally con-
sisting" of repeated chevrons—is too fine to
have been made use of for chalk inlaying.1

In Crete itself the cylindrical clay-box
type goes back to the beginning of the
Early Minoan Age, as is shown by an
example from the ossuary at Patema near
Palaikastro.2 But in this case the decoration
is of the ordinary E. M. I kind, consisting of
vertical bands of'herring-bone' pattern, finely
incised and presenting no trace of any kind
of inlay.

We are confronted, therefore, by the
remarkable phenomenon that the M. M. I a
pyxides of the class shown in Fig. 57, with
the white inlaying material in their incised
lines and punctuations, represent an earlier '■
tradition than similar clay receptacles dating
from the first Early Minoan phase. For the
fashion that they illustrate we have, indeed,
to go back to the Middle Neolithic strata.

With regard to the colouring it must be
further observed that the inlays of the Middle
Neolithic pottery, to which reference has been
made—specially remarkable on the primitive
'idols'—included, though more rarely, a
bright ferruginous red as well as the chalky
white. Although, among the sparse remains
of the M. M. I a pyxides preserved to us, only
the white inlays appear, it seems probable that
on these as well as on their presumed models on less durable substances, this

1 E.g. Tsountas, KiwAaSth-a, 'Apx- E$., 'mirrors' is, however, deeper, and the inlaid

1898, PI. 9, 31, where the engraving is so fine linear and punctuated patterns offer a real

as hardly to be visible in the Plate. Those comparison with those of the M. M. I0

from Pelos, in Melos, were equally finely en- pyxides (see 'Apx- 'J30., 1S99, PL 9, 4)-

graved (see Phylakopi, p. 84, Fig. 70). For - R. M. Dawkins, Palaikastro Excavations.

other parallels from Antiparos see B M. Cat. i, p. 5, Fig. 2. It contained the only pottery

Preh. Aeg. Pottery, p. 50, Figs. 60, 61. The found at Palaikastro to be classed as E. M. I.
engraving on the back of the so-called clay

Fig. 57. Clay Pyxis and Lids

with Incised Chalk - filled
Decoration M. M. I a (' Vat
Room Deposit ').