DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.7518#0067
THE PALACE
53
monius) which had been imported and was actually being
worked when disaster overtook the Palace.
You have now left the domestic part of the Palace. All to the
north was devoted to the craftsmen, the potters, and lapidaries.
Looking down eastwards you can see the massive East Wall,
a relic of the first Palace which sloped down in narrow
terraces.
The next room, reached by rather a scramble, was known as
the 'School Room'. It has benches on three sides and plastered
receptacles by them. More probably, however, it was some
potter's or craftsman's workroom, formed by building parti-
tion walls across a large hall. North of this is the open Court
of the Stone Spout, so called from the spout which drained
off the rain-water from the roof of the Great East Hall above
and led it to the blind well in this Court. On the wall above
is a fine example of a column-base in breccia. Its height betrays
its early date (M.M. II).
Immediately to the north are the 'Giant Pithoi' (Pi. VII).
These vast jars, big enough to hide all the Forty Thieves at
once, are again relics of the earher (M.M. II) Palace. Though
they could never have been transported once they were in situ,
they proudly display a multitude of handles and knobs to
facilitate handling, as well as a decoration of rope-pattern.
You turn right now and descend to the East Bastion, where
there is a strongly protected postern gate. The interest of this
entrance lies in the elaborate method of automatically checking
the flow of rain-water in the open conduit which runs down
beside the steps. Instead of allowing the water to come down
a plain incline, gathering speed the whole way the splashing
over when it comes to a corner, the engineers led the water
down in a series of small waterfalls; at the bottom of each it
was checked, with the result that it reached the corner at only
half-speed and turned it without spilling a drop. Near the
bottom are two square basins where sediment was allowed to
deposit before the clean water flowed out below. Sir Arthur
53
monius) which had been imported and was actually being
worked when disaster overtook the Palace.
You have now left the domestic part of the Palace. All to the
north was devoted to the craftsmen, the potters, and lapidaries.
Looking down eastwards you can see the massive East Wall,
a relic of the first Palace which sloped down in narrow
terraces.
The next room, reached by rather a scramble, was known as
the 'School Room'. It has benches on three sides and plastered
receptacles by them. More probably, however, it was some
potter's or craftsman's workroom, formed by building parti-
tion walls across a large hall. North of this is the open Court
of the Stone Spout, so called from the spout which drained
off the rain-water from the roof of the Great East Hall above
and led it to the blind well in this Court. On the wall above
is a fine example of a column-base in breccia. Its height betrays
its early date (M.M. II).
Immediately to the north are the 'Giant Pithoi' (Pi. VII).
These vast jars, big enough to hide all the Forty Thieves at
once, are again relics of the earher (M.M. II) Palace. Though
they could never have been transported once they were in situ,
they proudly display a multitude of handles and knobs to
facilitate handling, as well as a decoration of rope-pattern.
You turn right now and descend to the East Bastion, where
there is a strongly protected postern gate. The interest of this
entrance lies in the elaborate method of automatically checking
the flow of rain-water in the open conduit which runs down
beside the steps. Instead of allowing the water to come down
a plain incline, gathering speed the whole way the splashing
over when it comes to a corner, the engineers led the water
down in a series of small waterfalls; at the bottom of each it
was checked, with the result that it reached the corner at only
half-speed and turned it without spilling a drop. Near the
bottom are two square basins where sediment was allowed to
deposit before the clean water flowed out below. Sir Arthur