DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1118#0582
928 RELICS OF EARLY TREASURE
Deposit of Precious Relics precipitated into and about the ' Lustra!
Basin' from ' Loggia' above.
Precious 'I he objects found in the Throne Room area belong to two cateo-0nP.
relicspre- Those that lay actually on the floor of the Chamber will be described ;
ci pi tilled ... . . "^
i„ and relation to its ceremonial character. But a highly interesting group of
Mustral objects found dispersed among the earth, charcoal, and rubble debris within
Basin'. the Lustral Basin and over its borders, as well as within a little niche in
the opposite wall, belong to a class apart. They aie even, as will be seen
divided from the others by a chronological gap.
As noted above, there is every appearance that the relics belongino- to
sumably this latter group had been thrown below irom the 'loggia' immediately
from" above the balustraded part of the ' Room of the Throne' itself. They may
'Loggia'. we][ ]lavc represented the contents of coffers placed within it and perhaps
more permanently stored in some closet standing in connexion with it.
The objects in precious metal had been evidently picked out by later
treasure-seekers—but their character and style sufficiently show that these
relics were one and all of much earlier date than the Throne-room system
itself, and must have belonged to a Treasury hoard of the same transitional
M. M. Ill b epoch as those of the Temple Repositories. Although, more-
over, religious figurines were here absent, it is clear that many of the
crystals found had served as inlays of ivory Gaming" Boards such as that
Crystal much more completely represented by the ' Royal Draught-board',' which
Gaming seems to have stood in relation to the original ' Great East Hall'. Speci-
Boards mens of the crystal relics belonging to the Deposit are here given in
and J - P & l • l / /
Caskets. Fig. 900. The plaques with edges forming segments of large circles,/, «,
answer to those that framed the large medallions of such gaming tables,
and the petal-shaped pieces, /, in,«, correspond with those set in their outer
border.2 The round crystals, too, recall those in the centres of the ivory
rosettes along the frame of the ' Royal Draught-Board', one is hollowed
below for a painted surface. So also we recognize parts of the crystal bars,
—both plain, g and/, and ribbed, s—horizontally arranged on such tables,
and sometimes, as on specimens from the Temple Repositories, executed •
in faience.3 ; Rock-crystal bars like g—evidently belonging to a similai
gaming-table—were found in the Fourth Shaft Grave at Mycenae.4 These,
1 P. of M., i, Coloured Plate V (opp. ' See Kara, Schachigr&ter von Myhnm>
p. 472"), and see p. 471 "seqq. pi. CLIII, where ten from this grave are re-
"- See especially, P. o/M., i, p. 474, Fig. 333. produced.
! lb., p. 475 : restored draught-board.
Deposit of Precious Relics precipitated into and about the ' Lustra!
Basin' from ' Loggia' above.
Precious 'I he objects found in the Throne Room area belong to two cateo-0nP.
relicspre- Those that lay actually on the floor of the Chamber will be described ;
ci pi tilled ... . . "^
i„ and relation to its ceremonial character. But a highly interesting group of
Mustral objects found dispersed among the earth, charcoal, and rubble debris within
Basin'. the Lustral Basin and over its borders, as well as within a little niche in
the opposite wall, belong to a class apart. They aie even, as will be seen
divided from the others by a chronological gap.
As noted above, there is every appearance that the relics belongino- to
sumably this latter group had been thrown below irom the 'loggia' immediately
from" above the balustraded part of the ' Room of the Throne' itself. They may
'Loggia'. we][ ]lavc represented the contents of coffers placed within it and perhaps
more permanently stored in some closet standing in connexion with it.
The objects in precious metal had been evidently picked out by later
treasure-seekers—but their character and style sufficiently show that these
relics were one and all of much earlier date than the Throne-room system
itself, and must have belonged to a Treasury hoard of the same transitional
M. M. Ill b epoch as those of the Temple Repositories. Although, more-
over, religious figurines were here absent, it is clear that many of the
crystals found had served as inlays of ivory Gaming" Boards such as that
Crystal much more completely represented by the ' Royal Draught-board',' which
Gaming seems to have stood in relation to the original ' Great East Hall'. Speci-
Boards mens of the crystal relics belonging to the Deposit are here given in
and J - P & l • l / /
Caskets. Fig. 900. The plaques with edges forming segments of large circles,/, «,
answer to those that framed the large medallions of such gaming tables,
and the petal-shaped pieces, /, in,«, correspond with those set in their outer
border.2 The round crystals, too, recall those in the centres of the ivory
rosettes along the frame of the ' Royal Draught-Board', one is hollowed
below for a painted surface. So also we recognize parts of the crystal bars,
—both plain, g and/, and ribbed, s—horizontally arranged on such tables,
and sometimes, as on specimens from the Temple Repositories, executed •
in faience.3 ; Rock-crystal bars like g—evidently belonging to a similai
gaming-table—were found in the Fourth Shaft Grave at Mycenae.4 These,
1 P. of M., i, Coloured Plate V (opp. ' See Kara, Schachigr&ter von Myhnm>
p. 472"), and see p. 471 "seqq. pi. CLIII, where ten from this grave are re-
"- See especially, P. o/M., i, p. 474, Fig. 333. produced.
! lb., p. 475 : restored draught-board.