DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12762#0155
128
THE VAULTED TOMBS OF MESARA
the minoan There is, however, one broad view that has an appearance of probability,
race and is accepted by many archaeologists and historians, namely, that the
Mediterranean race, of which the Minoans were a branch, did not come from
the north or have any kinship or relation with the so-called Aryan or Indo-
Germanic race. Unless, then, we hold that it was autochthonous and had
developed in the Mediterranean basin, if we have to suppose that it came from
somewhere, then it is preferable to seek its point of departure in Africa — in
Egypt, that is, or in Libya—rather than in the north. This idea is supported,
as far as Crete is concerned, by the points of resemblance between Minoan and
Egyptian culture which are dealt with in the next section.
egyptian II. POINTS OF RESEMBLANCE WITH EGYPT
parallels
In the description of the contents of the Mesara tombs there has been
occasion at frequent intervals to mention points of resemblance between Minoan
and Egyptian objects in the Early Minoan times to which those tombs belong,
but it will be convenient to recapitulate them briefly here.
Form of Tomb I- The vaulted tombs (tholoi) of Mesara and the small buildings by them
which were used either for burial purposes or as store-rooms for sepulchral
gifts, particularly for vases of stone or clay, call to mind the corresponding
chambers or vaulted tombs, the so-called corbel vaults, of the early Egyptian
dynasties, which also had buildings round them for burials or use as store-
rooms.1
Quantity of Vases 2. The number of vases, and more especially stone vases, recalls the
wealth of stone vessels existing in the early dynastic tombs.2
The presence of these vases in the graves would appear to be due to the
same line of thought in both countries. Both countries knew the art of making
them, and if there is no actual proof that Crete learnt the art from Egypt, at
least the great resemblance in shape between some contemporary vases of
Egypt and Crete bears witness, as many scholars have remarked,3 to the links
between the two peoples.
Contracted Burials 3. Burials in the contracted attitude and burials in coffins or cists of clay
and Burial Cists or wood have been observed in Egypt from the predynastic age right through
to the fifth or sixth dynasties,4 and both features are characteristic of Early
Minoan burials. For, though proof on this point was not to be got from the
Mesara tombs owing to the disturbed state of the strata, yet the finding of the
clay coffins in the tomb at Pyrgos, and the contracted burials found in other
parts of Crete, either in coffins or in pithoi, combine to leave no doubt that
1 Petrie, Royal Tombs, I, p. 4. the same small rectangular ante-chamber.
Breasted, History of Egypt, pp. 40-41. 2 Petrie, Royal Tombs, I, p. 18.
Reisner, Naga-ed-Der, op. cit., I, p. 40. 3 Petrie, Royal Tombs, I, p. 18, Plates IV-X.
See also preface, p. xiii, where Sir Arthur Hall, JEgean Archaeology, p. 49.
Evans has called attention to the still more Seager, Mocklos, pp. 102-104.
remarkable parallelism with a widely diffused 4 Petrie, Royal Tombs, I, p. 18 ; El Amrah and
type of Libyan ' beehive' tomb provided with Abydos, p. 10, Plates II and III.
THE VAULTED TOMBS OF MESARA
the minoan There is, however, one broad view that has an appearance of probability,
race and is accepted by many archaeologists and historians, namely, that the
Mediterranean race, of which the Minoans were a branch, did not come from
the north or have any kinship or relation with the so-called Aryan or Indo-
Germanic race. Unless, then, we hold that it was autochthonous and had
developed in the Mediterranean basin, if we have to suppose that it came from
somewhere, then it is preferable to seek its point of departure in Africa — in
Egypt, that is, or in Libya—rather than in the north. This idea is supported,
as far as Crete is concerned, by the points of resemblance between Minoan and
Egyptian culture which are dealt with in the next section.
egyptian II. POINTS OF RESEMBLANCE WITH EGYPT
parallels
In the description of the contents of the Mesara tombs there has been
occasion at frequent intervals to mention points of resemblance between Minoan
and Egyptian objects in the Early Minoan times to which those tombs belong,
but it will be convenient to recapitulate them briefly here.
Form of Tomb I- The vaulted tombs (tholoi) of Mesara and the small buildings by them
which were used either for burial purposes or as store-rooms for sepulchral
gifts, particularly for vases of stone or clay, call to mind the corresponding
chambers or vaulted tombs, the so-called corbel vaults, of the early Egyptian
dynasties, which also had buildings round them for burials or use as store-
rooms.1
Quantity of Vases 2. The number of vases, and more especially stone vases, recalls the
wealth of stone vessels existing in the early dynastic tombs.2
The presence of these vases in the graves would appear to be due to the
same line of thought in both countries. Both countries knew the art of making
them, and if there is no actual proof that Crete learnt the art from Egypt, at
least the great resemblance in shape between some contemporary vases of
Egypt and Crete bears witness, as many scholars have remarked,3 to the links
between the two peoples.
Contracted Burials 3. Burials in the contracted attitude and burials in coffins or cists of clay
and Burial Cists or wood have been observed in Egypt from the predynastic age right through
to the fifth or sixth dynasties,4 and both features are characteristic of Early
Minoan burials. For, though proof on this point was not to be got from the
Mesara tombs owing to the disturbed state of the strata, yet the finding of the
clay coffins in the tomb at Pyrgos, and the contracted burials found in other
parts of Crete, either in coffins or in pithoi, combine to leave no doubt that
1 Petrie, Royal Tombs, I, p. 4. the same small rectangular ante-chamber.
Breasted, History of Egypt, pp. 40-41. 2 Petrie, Royal Tombs, I, p. 18.
Reisner, Naga-ed-Der, op. cit., I, p. 40. 3 Petrie, Royal Tombs, I, p. 18, Plates IV-X.
See also preface, p. xiii, where Sir Arthur Hall, JEgean Archaeology, p. 49.
Evans has called attention to the still more Seager, Mocklos, pp. 102-104.
remarkable parallelism with a widely diffused 4 Petrie, Royal Tombs, I, p. 18 ; El Amrah and
type of Libyan ' beehive' tomb provided with Abydos, p. 10, Plates II and III.