DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.7519#0095
6o
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF CRETE
strides, due apparently to some external impulse. The centre
and North of the island alone lag somewhat behind. For the
first time, however, there seems to be a common civilization
extending over all the populated districts and the differences
observable between district and district are no more than are
natural when communications by land are difficult and by sea
are directed to that point of the outside world which lies nearest
to the particular area.
In Central Crete the caves of Arkalokhori and Pyrgos are
still in use, the one as a sacred place the other as a place of
burial. At Knossos a few house floors appear below the
southern terraces. How much more material of this period
once existed can be guessed from the frequent occurrence of
E.M.n sherds which had been swept away with the earth when
the central Court was levelled and the debris therefrom used to
bank up the NW. quarter of the first Palace. Another large
site lay at Kanli Kastelli, SW. of Juktas, where on the spot
called Visala (pot sherds) a certain amount of pottery has been
picked up on the surface.
In South Crete, particularly in and round the Messara, sites
lie thick. The circular tombs which now appear for the first
time are dotted all over the plain and up into the foot-hills of
Ida, while traces of what may have been one are observable at
the great port of Komo to the South. No settlement unfor-
tunately has yet been excavated. It has been considered
remarkable that no settlements are known which correspond in
date to the E.M. elements in the tombs, whereas in several
cases settlements have been excavated which seem to begin
with the latest, M.M.i, elements in the same tombs. Aberg
has used this fact to prove his thesis that the contents of the
tombs, E.M. and M.M., are all contemporary, without appar-
ently considering it strange that no E.M. stone vases or seals
are ever found in the ex hypothesi contemporary settlements.1
There is, however, a perfectly rational answer. The M.M.i
settlements are few enough and can easily be explained by a
change of site, as at Vasilike in East Crete, which took place
for some reason we can no longer see. As for the E.M. settle-
ments they remain undiscovered because Xanthoudides mainly
concerned himself with tombs, only excavating such settle-
ments as lay in the immediate neighbourhood. It is extremely
improbable that houses would be built in great proximity to
1 Aberg, loc. cit., 250 ff.
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF CRETE
strides, due apparently to some external impulse. The centre
and North of the island alone lag somewhat behind. For the
first time, however, there seems to be a common civilization
extending over all the populated districts and the differences
observable between district and district are no more than are
natural when communications by land are difficult and by sea
are directed to that point of the outside world which lies nearest
to the particular area.
In Central Crete the caves of Arkalokhori and Pyrgos are
still in use, the one as a sacred place the other as a place of
burial. At Knossos a few house floors appear below the
southern terraces. How much more material of this period
once existed can be guessed from the frequent occurrence of
E.M.n sherds which had been swept away with the earth when
the central Court was levelled and the debris therefrom used to
bank up the NW. quarter of the first Palace. Another large
site lay at Kanli Kastelli, SW. of Juktas, where on the spot
called Visala (pot sherds) a certain amount of pottery has been
picked up on the surface.
In South Crete, particularly in and round the Messara, sites
lie thick. The circular tombs which now appear for the first
time are dotted all over the plain and up into the foot-hills of
Ida, while traces of what may have been one are observable at
the great port of Komo to the South. No settlement unfor-
tunately has yet been excavated. It has been considered
remarkable that no settlements are known which correspond in
date to the E.M. elements in the tombs, whereas in several
cases settlements have been excavated which seem to begin
with the latest, M.M.i, elements in the same tombs. Aberg
has used this fact to prove his thesis that the contents of the
tombs, E.M. and M.M., are all contemporary, without appar-
ently considering it strange that no E.M. stone vases or seals
are ever found in the ex hypothesi contemporary settlements.1
There is, however, a perfectly rational answer. The M.M.i
settlements are few enough and can easily be explained by a
change of site, as at Vasilike in East Crete, which took place
for some reason we can no longer see. As for the E.M. settle-
ments they remain undiscovered because Xanthoudides mainly
concerned himself with tombs, only excavating such settle-
ments as lay in the immediate neighbourhood. It is extremely
improbable that houses would be built in great proximity to
1 Aberg, loc. cit., 250 ff.