DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3044#0245
230 SUMMARY
of the ivory tradition, which could conceivably continue into this age. The Old Palatial Period is
the age of Prism-seals, particularly those carved on three faces. Previously, these seals were con-
sidered to occur in large numbers in the Prepalatial Period. There is, however, no evidence to sup-
port such an early dating. Other dominating seal shapes are certain Conoids, Pyramidoids, Bottles
and Buttons. At the beginning of the Old Palatial Period soft shiny stone is the most frequently
used material.
The cutting of the Prisms is rough and deep and few details are given. The knife, chisel and
slow-turning drill appear to have been used. Seals cut with tubular drill ornament are also rather
numerous. The motifs of the Prisms differ significantly from those of the earlier seals. They in-
clude men, goats, bucrania, schematically rendered quadrupeds, ships and vases. The pots are of-
ten slung from poles and sometimes are attended by men. Representations of human activities
including potting, grape stamping and arrow shooting constitute an innovation. Many Prism motifs
clearly are pictorial and not simply conventional. As was the case in the Prepalatial Period, mo-
tifs are arranged t&te-b§che in antithetic symmetry (Motifs 1:31 and 32), i.e. in a rotational
scheme. Not all of the motifs are of humans, animals and objects, however. Purely ornamental
motifs such as swastikas, Vierpasse and Z-whirls also occur. Boardman and others have pointed
to the semi-abstract treatment of many of the motifs found on these Prisms (cf. Motifs 58:1-10) in
which body parts are combined to form ornamental patterns or are reduced to geometric elements.
Motifs 58:1 and 2 show the Foreparts of Animals conjoined to form a whirling motif. In 58:3 the
bodies of two waterbirds meet axially to form a whirl. Such stylizations shall play a very impor-
tant role in the succeeding periods. These Prisms, presumably carved with hieroglyphs, comprise
the most common early Cretan shape (over 405 examples are known) and provide a suggestion
of the growing need to seal and identify goods. For the study of Aegean art it is interesting to
note that a concentration of about 100 examples of very modest workmanship was found in a
MM II context. This fact contradicts the tacit law that within a given art medium the develop-
ment always runs from, simple and crude to complex and fine.
We are much better informed about the glyptic developments which took place in MM II as
finds of seals and impressions are known from the three palaces as well as from other findspots.
At this time the widespread use of the lapidary lathe and hard stones represent nothing less than
the most revolutionary development in the whole of Aegean glyptic. A deposit of seal impression
types in Phaistos and from the Hieroglyphic Deposit in Knossos document the use of seals in hard
stone, but we have already noted the chronological persistence of Prism-seals in soft stone. MM II
is the age of the Cushion, Discoid, Foliate Back, stemmed Petschaft, of Prisms and seals formed
of the intertwined foreparts of animals. Lense-shaped Lentoids also make their appearance now.
The work on these seals is qualitatively on a much higher level than that of Prisms in soft stone.
New kinds of seal decoration make their appearance in MM II. The most important of these
are tectonic ornament, i.e. linear patterns made by straight cuts. Equally important is a new kind
of hieroglyphic script (Hieroglyphic B) which typically shows several signs engraved into Prisms
in hard stone. The "Hieroglyphic B" seals are associated with a larger group of seals on the
basis of shape, material, technique, motifs and style and may be referred to as the "Hiero-
glyphic Deposit Group", after the major findspot in Knossos. The examples of this group as
well as those in hard stone engraved with tectonic ornament are numerous and about 250 exam-
ples are known. Several of the motifs carved on the seals of the Hieroglyphic Deposit Group are
also found painted in the same compositional arrangements on MM II Classical Kamares vessels.
of the ivory tradition, which could conceivably continue into this age. The Old Palatial Period is
the age of Prism-seals, particularly those carved on three faces. Previously, these seals were con-
sidered to occur in large numbers in the Prepalatial Period. There is, however, no evidence to sup-
port such an early dating. Other dominating seal shapes are certain Conoids, Pyramidoids, Bottles
and Buttons. At the beginning of the Old Palatial Period soft shiny stone is the most frequently
used material.
The cutting of the Prisms is rough and deep and few details are given. The knife, chisel and
slow-turning drill appear to have been used. Seals cut with tubular drill ornament are also rather
numerous. The motifs of the Prisms differ significantly from those of the earlier seals. They in-
clude men, goats, bucrania, schematically rendered quadrupeds, ships and vases. The pots are of-
ten slung from poles and sometimes are attended by men. Representations of human activities
including potting, grape stamping and arrow shooting constitute an innovation. Many Prism motifs
clearly are pictorial and not simply conventional. As was the case in the Prepalatial Period, mo-
tifs are arranged t&te-b§che in antithetic symmetry (Motifs 1:31 and 32), i.e. in a rotational
scheme. Not all of the motifs are of humans, animals and objects, however. Purely ornamental
motifs such as swastikas, Vierpasse and Z-whirls also occur. Boardman and others have pointed
to the semi-abstract treatment of many of the motifs found on these Prisms (cf. Motifs 58:1-10) in
which body parts are combined to form ornamental patterns or are reduced to geometric elements.
Motifs 58:1 and 2 show the Foreparts of Animals conjoined to form a whirling motif. In 58:3 the
bodies of two waterbirds meet axially to form a whirl. Such stylizations shall play a very impor-
tant role in the succeeding periods. These Prisms, presumably carved with hieroglyphs, comprise
the most common early Cretan shape (over 405 examples are known) and provide a suggestion
of the growing need to seal and identify goods. For the study of Aegean art it is interesting to
note that a concentration of about 100 examples of very modest workmanship was found in a
MM II context. This fact contradicts the tacit law that within a given art medium the develop-
ment always runs from, simple and crude to complex and fine.
We are much better informed about the glyptic developments which took place in MM II as
finds of seals and impressions are known from the three palaces as well as from other findspots.
At this time the widespread use of the lapidary lathe and hard stones represent nothing less than
the most revolutionary development in the whole of Aegean glyptic. A deposit of seal impression
types in Phaistos and from the Hieroglyphic Deposit in Knossos document the use of seals in hard
stone, but we have already noted the chronological persistence of Prism-seals in soft stone. MM II
is the age of the Cushion, Discoid, Foliate Back, stemmed Petschaft, of Prisms and seals formed
of the intertwined foreparts of animals. Lense-shaped Lentoids also make their appearance now.
The work on these seals is qualitatively on a much higher level than that of Prisms in soft stone.
New kinds of seal decoration make their appearance in MM II. The most important of these
are tectonic ornament, i.e. linear patterns made by straight cuts. Equally important is a new kind
of hieroglyphic script (Hieroglyphic B) which typically shows several signs engraved into Prisms
in hard stone. The "Hieroglyphic B" seals are associated with a larger group of seals on the
basis of shape, material, technique, motifs and style and may be referred to as the "Hiero-
glyphic Deposit Group", after the major findspot in Knossos. The examples of this group as
well as those in hard stone engraved with tectonic ornament are numerous and about 250 exam-
ples are known. Several of the motifs carved on the seals of the Hieroglyphic Deposit Group are
also found painted in the same compositional arrangements on MM II Classical Kamares vessels.