DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1118#0589
CONSISTORY CHAMBER 935
Ritual Aspect of the ' Room of the Throne' and its Ante-chamber.
The ' Room of the Throne' that forms the centre of the Late Palace Throne of
i-ii 1 1 111 'i-i State to
section above described must by no means be regarded as the lhrone besought
Room proper of the royal residency as a whole. The throne of the Lord ™JJ°C"
of Knossos—at least on his secular side—has, with great probability, to be Quarter.
souoht against the North wall of the inner compartment of the ' Hall of the
Double Axes', in the outer section of which remains of a wooden seat of
honour—provided in this case with a canopy—were actually preserved.1
The State chamber with which we are concerned in this place, together Ritual
with its ante-room, was throughout designed to serve a religious purpose. ?Roomof
The arrangement, visible in both sections, of a high central seat of honour !n,e
, . . .... Ihrone ,
flanked and confronted by lower benches, is itself sufficiently significant. aCon-
The benches round, which seem to have been occupied by members of some chamber,
kind of Consistory, afforded sitting-room in the 'Throne Chamber' itself for
sixteen members of this, besides the high personage enthroned. In the
Ante-chamber there was room, in addition to the presiding dignitary on the
seat of honour, for twelve persons, seven of these on the bench along the
South Wall. Thus, including the Priest-king and his Vicegerent, the total
number accommodated in both sections would have been thirty.2 The large
opening between the two spaces made it possible to have a joint sitting, as
if in a single chamber.
Initial Ceremonies in Ante-room: Purple Gypsum Font.
As to the character of the ritual itself the Ante-chamber must first 'be Ante"
considered, since we should here seek its preliminary stage. scene of
In this case, happily, what seems to be a real clue is the fact that, in J"^1
the passage-way leading West from the North corner entrance of the purpie
Gypsum
font-
See P. of M., iii, p. 333 seqq., and pp. 336, were throne and bench, with another rock-cut
337, Figs. 223, 224. bench behind. Together with these, moreover,
In the Introductory Section of tliis Work were remains of an enclosure with a water
an analogy was suggested between the inner channel in front, and there was also a later
ritual chamber at Knossos, distinguished by Pronaos with a shallow basin. But the parallel-
its throne and benches and with an ante-room ism at most is of a quite general nature and
beyond, and the 'Hall of Initiation' of the the Phrygian Mysteries with which we are
Sanctuary of Men Askaenos and a Mother asked to associate its Men Sanctuary have no
Goddess, described as DemSter, near the necessary connexion with the South Cilician
Pisidian Antioch. See P. of M., i, pp. 4, 5, and South-Eastern Anatolian religious tradi-
and cf. the Plan given by Sir W. M. Ramsay tions, such as have principally affected Minoan
m-5. S.A., xviii, p. 4I, Fig. 1. Here, too, Crete.
Ritual Aspect of the ' Room of the Throne' and its Ante-chamber.
The ' Room of the Throne' that forms the centre of the Late Palace Throne of
i-ii 1 1 111 'i-i State to
section above described must by no means be regarded as the lhrone besought
Room proper of the royal residency as a whole. The throne of the Lord ™JJ°C"
of Knossos—at least on his secular side—has, with great probability, to be Quarter.
souoht against the North wall of the inner compartment of the ' Hall of the
Double Axes', in the outer section of which remains of a wooden seat of
honour—provided in this case with a canopy—were actually preserved.1
The State chamber with which we are concerned in this place, together Ritual
with its ante-room, was throughout designed to serve a religious purpose. ?Roomof
The arrangement, visible in both sections, of a high central seat of honour !n,e
, . . .... Ihrone ,
flanked and confronted by lower benches, is itself sufficiently significant. aCon-
The benches round, which seem to have been occupied by members of some chamber,
kind of Consistory, afforded sitting-room in the 'Throne Chamber' itself for
sixteen members of this, besides the high personage enthroned. In the
Ante-chamber there was room, in addition to the presiding dignitary on the
seat of honour, for twelve persons, seven of these on the bench along the
South Wall. Thus, including the Priest-king and his Vicegerent, the total
number accommodated in both sections would have been thirty.2 The large
opening between the two spaces made it possible to have a joint sitting, as
if in a single chamber.
Initial Ceremonies in Ante-room: Purple Gypsum Font.
As to the character of the ritual itself the Ante-chamber must first 'be Ante"
considered, since we should here seek its preliminary stage. scene of
In this case, happily, what seems to be a real clue is the fact that, in J"^1
the passage-way leading West from the North corner entrance of the purpie
Gypsum
font-
See P. of M., iii, p. 333 seqq., and pp. 336, were throne and bench, with another rock-cut
337, Figs. 223, 224. bench behind. Together with these, moreover,
In the Introductory Section of tliis Work were remains of an enclosure with a water
an analogy was suggested between the inner channel in front, and there was also a later
ritual chamber at Knossos, distinguished by Pronaos with a shallow basin. But the parallel-
its throne and benches and with an ante-room ism at most is of a quite general nature and
beyond, and the 'Hall of Initiation' of the the Phrygian Mysteries with which we are
Sanctuary of Men Askaenos and a Mother asked to associate its Men Sanctuary have no
Goddess, described as DemSter, near the necessary connexion with the South Cilician
Pisidian Antioch. See P. of M., i, pp. 4, 5, and South-Eastern Anatolian religious tradi-
and cf. the Plan given by Sir W. M. Ramsay tions, such as have principally affected Minoan
m-5. S.A., xviii, p. 4I, Fig. 1. Here, too, Crete.