Crete Beyond the Palaces:
Proceedings of the
Crete 2000 Conference
PREHISTORY MONOGRAPHS 10
Crete Beyond the Palaces:
Proceedings of the
Crete 2000 Conference
edited by
Leslie Preston Day
Margaret S. Mook
James D. Muhly
Published by
INSTAP Academic Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2004
Design and Production
INSTAP Academic Press
Printing
Sun Printing House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Binding
Hoster Bindery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Crete 2000 Conference (2000 : Athens, Greece)
Crete beyond the palaces : proceedings of the Crete 2000 Conference / edited
by Leslie Preston Day, Margaret S. Mook, James D. Muhly.
p. cm. — (Prehistory monographs ; 10)
“This book presents the papers from the conference Crete 2000 ... held in
Athens from July 10-12, 2000”—ECIP data view sheet.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-931534-09-8 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Crete (Greece)—Antiquities—Congresses. 2. Excavations
(Archaeology)—Greece—Crete—Congresses. I. Day, Leslie Preston. II. Mook,
Margaret S., 1960- III. Muhly, James David. IV. Title. V. Series.
DF261.C8C74 2000
939’.18—dc22
2004007506
Copyright © 2004
INSTAP Academic Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................................vii
LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................................................xiii
PREFACE..................................................................................................................................................................xv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................................................................................xvii
CONFERENCE PROGRAM.................................................................................................................................xix
OPENING REMARKS
James D. Muhly, Director, American School of Classical Studies at Athens.......................................xxiii
Theodoros Pangalos, Minister of Culture ................................................................................................xxiv
Nicholas Burns, American Ambassador to Greece .................................................................................xxiv
Jeremy A. Sabloff, Williams Director, University of Pennsylvania Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology .....................................................................................................xxvi
INTRODUCTION
History of American Excavations on Crete: Geraldine C. Gesell..................................................................1
PART I: TRADE
1. Pseira and Knossos: The Transformation of an East Cretan Seaport: Philip P. Betancourt.............21
2. The Incised and Relief Lily Jars from Mochlos: Thomas M. Brogan...................................................29
3. Kommos: The Sea-Gate to Southern Crete: Joseph W. Shaw................................................................43
4. A Possible Minoan Harbor on South Crete: Elpida Hadjidaki .............................................................53
PART II: SOCIETY AND RELIGION
5. The “Big House” at Vronda and the “Great House” at Karphi: Evidence for Social
Structure in LM IIIC Crete: Leslie Preston Day and Lynn M. Snyder ..............................................63
6. Gournia, Vronda Kavousi, Kephala Vasilikis: A Triad of Interrelated Shrines of the
Expiring Minoan Age on the Isthmus of Ierapetra: Theodore Eliopoulos.......................................81
7. The Architecture of the Late Minoan IIIC Shrine (Building G) at Vronda, Kavousi:
Nancy L. Klein ........................................................................................................................................91
8. Halasmenos, Destroyed but not Invisible: New Insights on the LM IIIC Period in the
Isthmus of Ierapetra. First Presentation of the Pottery from the 1992–1997 Campaigns:
Metaxia Tsipopoulou .............................................................................................................................103
vi
CRETE BEYOND THE PALACES
9. Household Analysis in Dark Age Crete: Kevin T. Glowacki ..............................................................125
10. Religion at Minoan Kommos: Maria C. Shaw .....................................................................................137
PART III: CHRONOLOGY AND HISTORY
11. New Construction at Mochlos in the LM IB Period: Jeffrey S. Soles ................................................153
12. From Foundation to Abandonment: New Ceramic Phasing for the Late Bronze
Age and Early Iron Age on the Kastro at Kavousi: Margaret S. Mook........................................163
13. Writing on the Walls. The Architectural Context of Archaic Cretan Laws: Paula J. Perlman ......181
14 Eleutherna and the Greek World, ca. 600–400 B.C.: Brice Erickson ...................................................199
15. The Late Hellenistic Period in East Crete: Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan ................................................213
PART IV: LANDSCAPE AND SURVEY
16. Past and Present Perspectives on the Archaeological Landscapes of Mirabello:
Donald C. Haggis..................................................................................................................................223
17. Vrokastro and the Settlement Pattern of the LM IIIA–Geometric Periods:
Barbara J. Hayden .................................................................................................................................233
18. Western Crete in the Bronze Age: A Survey of the Evidence: Jennifer Moody ...............................247
19. South of Kavousi, East of Mochlos: The West Siteia Mountains at the End
of the Bronze Age: Krzysztof Nowicki ...............................................................................................265
PART V: TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTION
20. Chrysokamino and the Beginnings of Metal Technology on Crete and in the
Aegean: James D. Muhly.....................................................................................................................283
21. Mochlos and Melos: A Special Relationship? Creating Identity and Status
in Minoan Crete: Tristan Carter .........................................................................................................291
22. Late Minoan III Mochlos and the Regional Consumption of Pottery: R. Angus K. Smith...........309
List of Figures
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
Figure 6.
Figure 7.
Figure 8.
Figure 9.
Figure 10.
Figure 11.
Figure 12.
Figure 13.
Figure 14.
Figure 1.1.
Figure 1.2.
Harriet Boyd and her potsherds, 1902 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxvii
Richard Seager on a white horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Edith Hall on a pony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Among the group riding wooden saddles: Harriet Boyd, Blanche Wheeler,
Aristides, Aristides’ mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Aloni Notebook, page 7: excavation notes of Tomb I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Harriet Boyd directing the pot washers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Roadway to the Gournia Shrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Gournia Shrine equipment during excavation, showing five snake tubes
and the tripod altar in situ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Gournia Shrine artifacts after conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Harriet Boyd awarding the prizes at the games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
East Ascent A and Quarter C houses at Gournia from the east . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Entrance to the Gournia Palace from the south . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Adelene Moffat on pack animal at fountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Pithos burial found at Pacheia Ammos in 1986 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Figure 1.4.
Knossian Special Palatial Tradition vases imported into Pseira during LM IB . . . . . . . . .23
Knossian Special Palatial Tradition vases and a bull-shaped vessel, all from
Room BQ 1, Building BQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
A. Plan of Building BC showing the numbers of the spaces; B. Drawing of one
of the local sandstone blocks used in the pier-and-door partition wall . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Bull-shaped vessel from the “House of the Rhyta” at Pseira . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Figure 2.1.
Figure 2.2.
Figure 2.3.
Figure 2.4.
Figure 2.5.
Figure 2.6.
Figure 2.7.
Figure 2.8.
Type 1 Lily Jar profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Type 2 Lily Jar profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Type 1 Images of Incised Lily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Type 2 Images of Incised Lily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Type 3 Image of Relief Lily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Lily Jars at Coast Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Lily Jars at Chalinomouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Lily Jars on the Island of Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Figure 1.3.
viii
CRETE BEYOND THE PALACES
Figure 2.9.
Figure 2.10.
Ierapetra Museum No. 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Ierapetra Museum No. 86 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Figure 3.1.
Figure 3.2.
Figure 3.3.
Figure 3.4.
Figure 3.5.
Figure 3.6.
Figure 3.7.
Figure 3.8.
Figure 3.9.
Figure 3.10.
Figure 3.11.
View of Kommos site, from south . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Plan of Southern Area showing architectural periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Elevation of Building P, containing probable ship-sheds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Cypriot White-Painted IV juglet C 6112 from the Kommos settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Cypriot pithos C 9013 from LM IIIA:2 House X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Imported Canaanite/Syrian, Egyptian, Mycenaean, and Cypriot pottery . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Syrian composite stone anchor from a LM IIIA:2 context in Southern Area . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Tripillar Phoenician-influenced shrine from Geometric Temple B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Faience figurine of Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Tapering Cypriot pillar surmounted by head of Egyptian God Bes, in the Louvre . . . . . .49
Inscribed East Greek amphora or hydria handle I 46 from Building Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Figure 4.1.
Figure 4.2.
Figure 4.3.
Figure 4.4.
Figure 4.5.
Figure 4.6.
Figure 4.7.
Figure 4.8.
Figure 4.9.
Figure 4.10.
Figure 4.11.
Anchor underwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Anchor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Cape Plaka with Minoan buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Minoan “mole” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
EM III–MM I closed vessel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
MM conical cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
EM III pithos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Minoan building on the shore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Minoan building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Minoan walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Minoan “mole” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Figure 5.1.
Figure 5.2.
Figure 5.3.
Figure 5.4.
Figure 5.5.
Figure 5.6.
Figure 5.7.
Figure 5.8.
Plan of the LM IIIC settlement at Vronda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Plan of the Big House at Vronda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Pithoi from the Vronda settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Pithos smashed on floor of Vronda, Building B, Room 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Field sketch plan of Vronda room B 4 during excavation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Pottery from early deposits in Vronda, Building B, Rooms 4 and 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Butchering and food debris recovered from northern portion of B 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Cattle skulls and agrimi horn cores, in situ during excavation in the southern
part of B 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Agrimi horn cores from Vronda B 4 and Kastro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Reconstructed cattle skull from Vronda B 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Pottery from later deposits in Vronda, Building B, Room 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Plan of the Karphi Settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Pottery from the Great House at Karphi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Plans of the Great House at Karphi and the Big House at Vronda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Figure 5.9.
Figure 5.10.
Figure 5.11.
Figure 5.12.
Figure 5.13.
Figure 5.14.
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 6.1.
Figure 6.2.
Figure 6.3.
Figure 6.4.
Figure 6.5.
Figure 6.6.
Figure 6.7.
Figure 6.8.
Figure 6.9.
ix
The area of the Isthmus of Ierapetra, Eastern Crete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Kephala Vasilikis, temple complex (Building E). Room E 4, northern bench with
curved contour and cult objects in situ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Kephala Vasilikis, temple complex (Building E). Close Style krater from
rooms E 5–E 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
The Vronda shrine, Building G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Kephala Vasilikis temple complex (Building E) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Kephala Vasilikis, temple complex (Building E). Goddess No. 2 from room E 4,
eastern bench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Kephala Vasilikis, temple complex (Building E). Lower part of snake tube from
room E 4, eastern bench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Kephala Vasilikis, temple complex (Building E). Rectangular fenestrated stand
from room E 4, northern bench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Kephala Vasilikis, temple complex (Building E). Part of a plaque from the fill of
room E 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Figure 7.1.
Figure 7.2.
Figure 7.3.
Figure 7.4.
Figure 7.5.
Figure 7.6.
Figure 7.7.
Figure 7.8.
Kavousi Vronda: state plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Kavousi Vronda: excavation of snake tubes in Building G, Room 2, 1988 . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Kavousi Vronda: Shrine (Building G) from the west . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Kavousi Vronda: plan of Shrine (Building G) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Kavousi Vronda: plan of Building C-D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Kavousi Vronda: Building D from north . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Gournia: plan of the Shrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Karphi: plan of the Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Figure 8.1.
Figure 8.2.
Figure 8.3.
Figure 8.4.
Figure 8.5.
Figure 8.6.
Figure 8.7.
Figure 8.8.
Figure 8.9.
Figure 8.10.
Figure 8.11.
Figure 8.12.
Figure 8.13.
Halasmenos settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Vessel fabrics and shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Pithoi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Amphoras, jugs, and feeding bottles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Stirrup jars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Pyxides, amphoriskoi, and stands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Tripod cooking vessels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Cooking amphoras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Cooking trays, dishes, and bowls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Basins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Krateriskoi and deep bowls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Kalathoi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Kylikes and cups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Figure 9.1.
Figure 9.2.
Figure 9.3.
Figure 9.4.
Figure 9.5.
Figure 9.6.
Kavousi Vronda. Plan of the LM IIIC settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Building Complex I-O-N. State plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Building Complex I-O-N. Block plan (walls partially restored) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Building I. State plan. LG graves indicated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Building I, Room 3. Oven from south . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Recreation of a small oven by Mr. Manolis Maniadakis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
x
CRETE BEYOND THE PALACES
Figure 9.7.
Building I, Room 3. Pyxis and pithos during excavation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Figure 9.8.
Comparison of pithoi from I 3 and B 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Figure 9.9.
Stone tools from floor surface of Room I 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Figure 9.10. Building N, Room 5. Oven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Figure 9.11. Building Complex I-O-N. Distribution of pottery types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Figure 9.12. Building Complex I-O-N. Distribution of stone tool types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Figure 10.1.
Figure 10.2.
Figure 10.3.
Figure 10.4.
Figure 10.5.
Figure 10.6.
Figure 10.7.
Figure 10.8.
Figure 10.9.
Figure 10.10.
Figure 10.11.
Plan of Kommos: the Southern Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Plan of the Northern Hilltop of the town at Kommos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Plan of the Central Hillside of the town at Kommos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
MM II bull head rhyton from the Central Hillside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Figurines from the area of the town at Kommos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
The shrine in House X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Seal with bird-woman found in LM III level in the shrine in House X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
LM III shrine in the house with the snake tube in the Central Hillside at Kommos . . . .145
Snake tube from the shrine illustrated in Fig. 10.8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
Restored plan of Neopalatial Palace Building T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Plaster offering table from the area of the monumental buildings at Kommos . . . . . . . .147
Figure 11.1. Mochlos Coastal Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
Figure 11.2. The Artisans’ Quarter, Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
Figure 11.3. The Main Settlement, Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Figure 12.1. Kavousi village and the Kastro from the west . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
Figure 12.2. Boyd’s 1900, and the Kavousi Project’s 2002, plans of the Kastro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Figure 12.3. East-west section of the area east of Room 24, Room 24, Room 35, and Room 31
from the north . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
Figure 12.4. Late Minoan IIIB:2-style pottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
Figure 12.5. The pottery from a Phase I, Late Minoan IIIC, deposit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
Figure 12.6. The pottery from a Phase II, Late Minoan IIIC, deposit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
Figure 12.7. Phase IV, Early Protogeometric, skyphoi and a krater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
Figure 12.8. Phase V, Protogeometric, skyphoi and cups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Figure 12.9. The pottery from two Phase VI, Subprotogeometric, deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Figure 12.10. The pottery from a Phase VII, Geometric, deposit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
Figure 12.11. Phase VIII, Late Geometric, open and closed pottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
Figure 12.12. Phase IX, Orientalizing, open and closed pottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Figure 13.1.
Figure 13.2.
Figure 13.3.
Figure 13.4.
Figure 13.5.
Inscriptions from the Temple of Apollo Pythios, Gortyn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183, 184
I.Cret. IV 22B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
I.Cret. IV 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Inscriptions from the Temple of Apollo Delphinios, Dreros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
“Indications of Completeness” in the Delphinion Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Figure 14.1. Eleutherna, high-necked cup (6th century) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Figure 14.2. Eleutherna, Corinthian imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
LIST OF FIGURES
xi
Figure 14.3.
Figure 14.4.
Figure 14.5.
Figure 14.6.
Eleutherna, Laconian imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
Eleutherna, Attic imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Laconian imports to Crete (6th century) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
Eleutherna, Cretan imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
Figure 15.1.
Figure 15.2.
Figure 15.3.
Classical and Hellenistic sites in East Crete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Amphoras from Mochlos made with ECCW fabric. Types 2 and 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Amphoras from Mochlos made with ECCW fabric. Type 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Figure 16.1.
Roman granary at Tholos Bay; view from south looking toward the Isthmus
of Ierapetra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
The Kastro and Mt. Papoura from the Avgo valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
A trapetum and orbis in an abandoned house in Monastiraki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
The Kastro and Chondrovolakes from Kavousi village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
Foundations of a Minoan (MM II–LM I) building at Tholos bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
Minoan house walls at Ayios Antonios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
Chrysokamino, Mt. Chalepa, and the southeast corner of the Bay of Mirabello . . . . . . .228
EM III–MM II building at Chondrovolakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
Figure 16.2.
Figure 16.3.
Figure 16.4.
Figure 16.5.
Figure 16.6.
Figure 16.7.
Figure 16.8.
Figure 17.1.
Figure 17.2.
Figure 17.3.
Figure 17.4.
Figure 17.5.
Figure 17.6.
Figure 17.7.
Figure 17.8.
Figure 17.9.
Figure 18.1.
Figure 18.2.
Figure 18.3.
Figure 18.4.
Figure 18.5.
Figure 18.6.
Figure 18.7.
Figure 18.8.
Figure 19.1.
Figure 19.2.
Figure 19.3.
Figure 19.4.
Vrokastro survey area, showing toponyms and location of the settlement of
Vrokastro, and the Istron or Kalo Chorio Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Summit and north slope of Vrokastro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
View to the summit of Vrokastro from the Chavga ravine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
Area around the settlement of Vrokastro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
Vrokastro survey area, showing location of LM IIIA–IIIB settlements and tombs . . . . .238
Vrokastro survey area, showing location of LM IIIC sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
Elias to Nisi promontory, showing location of enclosure wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Vrokastro survey area, showing location of Protogeometric–Geometric sites . . . . . . . . .242
Plan of the Geometric settlement on the summit of Vrokastro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
Minoan Palace Period sites in Western Crete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248
Final Palatial sites in Western Crete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248
Final and Postpalatial sites in Western Crete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
Dark Age sites in Western Crete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
Profiles of Lake Van, Gulf of Oman, Soreq Cave, Dead Sea level cores, glacial
advances in the Alps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250
Locations of environmental data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251
Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252
Preliminary data—climate changes and Cretan prehistory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252
Mirabello Bay and the Siteia Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266, 267
Southwestern part of the West Siteia Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
A. Katalimata Ayios Ioannis: from South; B. Katalimata Ayios Ioannis: Areas
C and D as seen from Kale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
Sketch of Katalimata Ayios Ioannis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270
xii
CRETE BEYOND THE PALACES
Figure 19.5.
Figure 19.6.
Figure 19.7.
Figure 19.8.
Figure 19.9.
Figure 19.10.
Pottery from surface of Katalimata Ayios Ioannis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272
Pottery from surface of Katalimata Ayios Ioannis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
Sketch of Stavromenos Vainia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274
Pottery from surface of Karphi Koutsounari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275
Mochlos Plain and Orno Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
Area of Chalinomouri and Kastello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278
Figure 20.1.
Figure 20.2.
Figure 20.3.
Figure 20.4.
HN 4671, Tomb 217. Dagger, rounded heel with three rivet holes; no midrib . . . . . . . .286
HN 4670, Tomb 216. Long dagger, tapering blade with pronounced central midrib . . . . .286
HN 4658, Tomb 2. Long dagger, tapering blade with central midrib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286
HN 4673, Tomb 217. Saw, tapering blade with small teeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286
Figure 21.1.
Figure 21.2.
Figure 21.3.
Figure 21.4.
Figure 21.5.
Figure 21.6.
Location of Building/Tomb N in the Prepalatial cemetery, Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292
EM II sites mentioned in the text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
Location of EM IIB and LM IB core caches, Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294
Selection of blade-cores from EM IIB cache, Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295
EB II Southern Aegean, showing sites mentioned in text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297
Generic reconstruction of the “Minoan”/Southern Aegean obsidian pressure-flaked
blade manufacturing sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299
Figure 21.7. Comparing lengths of blade-cores from Mochlos EM IIB cache, Mallia’s EM IIB
“atelier des tailleurs d’obsidienne,” and EM Palaikastro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300
Figure 21.8. East Crete, showing LM IB sites mentioned in the text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301
Figure 21.9. Quantity of obsidian from LM IB structures at Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301
Figure 21.10. Plan of Building B2’s east wing, Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303
Figure 21.11. Selection of obsidian from the Hall over the Pillar Rooms, Building B2, Mochlos . . . . . . .304
Figure 21.12. Obsidian from the Hall over the Pillar Rooms, Building B2, Mochlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305
Figure 22.1.
Figure 22.2.
Figure 22.3.
Figure 22.4.
Figure 22.5.
Figure 22.6.
Figure 22.7.
Plan of the Mochlos coastal plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310
Inter-site shape correspondences measured as percentages of similar shape types . . . .311
Percentages of various shape types by region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312
Kylix from the Mochlos Cemetery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312
Pulled-rim bowls from the Mochlos Cemetery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313
Rounded handleless cup from the Mochlos Cemetery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313
Trefoil-mouthed jug from the Mochlos Cemetery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313
List of Tables
Table 2.1.
Lily Jars distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Table 5.1.
Comparison of floor space in large buildings at Vronda and Karphi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Table 8.1.
Provisional functional typology of ceramics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Table 21.1.
Obsidian from Mochlos’ Building B2, east wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302
Preface
This volume, Crete Beyond the Palaces, includes the papers from the conference
“Crete 2000: A Centennial Celebration of American Archaeological Work on Crete
(1900–2000),” held in Athens from July 10–12, 2000. James Muhly, then Director of
the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, had the idea for the conference,
and he joined with Leslie Day and Margaret Mook to solicit papers and arrange the
program. The American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Institute for
Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP) Study Center for East Crete organized the conference.
Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan, archivist of the American School, curated the exhibition,
“Breaking Ground: Pioneer American Archaeologists in Crete,” which accompanied the conference. James Muhly and Evangelia Sikla were the editors of Crete
2000: A Centennial Celebration of American Archaeological Work on Crete (1900–2000),
the heavily illustrated volume accompanying the exhibition. There was an excursion to the sites of American excavations on Crete, both past and present, following
the conference from July 13–15, 2000.
Both senior and junior scholars participating in the American and joint GreekAmerican excavations on Crete or studying material from these excavations were
invited to present papers at the conference. Many scholars doing serious research
on Crete not related directly to these excavations, therefore, could not be included.
All but two of the participants have submitted papers for this volume; they are presented in the order in which they were given. Leslie Day and Margaret Mook initially organized the papers, and Leslie Day did the format editing before the papers
were sent for publication.
So many people were involved in organizing this conference that it is difficult to
thank them all, and many are mentioned in the introductory remarks. Liz Papageorgiou handled most of the arrangements in Athens, with help from members of
the staff of the American School, and we are most grateful to them. Special thanks
go to the Gennadeion Library and its Director Haris Kalligas for allowing us to use
the facilities of the library for the conference, and to Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan and
her staff who prepared the exhibition there. On Crete, Thomas Brogan organized
the site visits and travel arrangements; he also oversaw the cleaning of these sites
and arranged to have explanatory signs set up. Eleanor Huffman handled the production of the signs, with texts and images provided by the excavators of the various sites. Special thanks also go to Stavroula Apostolakou of the 24th Ephoreia for
her help in preparing the Greek text for the signs.
All of the excavators and staff members of the various American excavations on
Crete gave unstintingly of their time and expertise to make the site visits entertaining and informative. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Harriet Boyd
Hawes were present at the conference and, by sharing stories about her, provided a
xvi
CRETE BEYOND THE PALACES
special connection between the earliest excavators on Crete and those of today.
Thanks also must go to the American School and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory,
especially to Malcolm Wiener, as well as to Richard and Jeanette Sias, for providing
financial support for this conference. Finally, our gratitude goes to William Coulson,
who offered much useful advice but, unfortunately, was prevented from participating in the conference by what turned out to be a fatal illness. As director of the
American School and as co-director of both the Kavousi and Halasmenos Projects,
he did so much to promote American archaeological interests in Crete. He will be
sorely missed by the archaeological community and all of his friends on Crete.
Leslie Preston Day
May 2002
List of Abbreviations
The editors have followed the Guidelines for Authors used by Hesperia and other publications of the
American School of Classical Studies.
The following additional abbreviations are used in the text:
LN = Late Neolithic
FN = Final Neolithic
EM = Early Minoan
MM = Middle Minoan
LM = Late Minoan
EC = Early Cycladic
EBA = Early Bronze Age
LB = Late Bronze Age
SM = Subminoan
PG = Protogeometric
EG = Early Geometric
MG = Middle Geometric
LG = Late Geometric.
Abbreviations of journal titles and standard works conform to the list in The American Journal of Archaeology 95 (1991), 1–16, with one exception:
I.Cret. instead of IC for Inscriptiones Creticae.
Munsell refers to Munsell Soil Color Charts.
For the most part, the system for transliterating Greek described in JHS 89 (1969), 1–6 is employed. This
attempt to keep familiar spellings of sites has resulted in some inconsistency in transliteration, particularly the letter Chi. For the most part, Chi is transliterated as Ch, but occasionally in appears as H or Kh.
Conference Program
Crete 2000: A Centennial Celebration of American
Archaeological Work On Crete (1900–2000)
Monday, July 10
WELCOMING ADDRESSES
James Muhly, Director of the American School of Classical Studies
Theodoros Pangalos, Minister of Culture
Nicholas Burns, American Ambassador to Greece
Jeremy A. Sabloff, Williams Director, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Geraldine C. Gesell
Tuesday, July 11
SESSION I: TRADE (MALCOLM WIENER, CHAIR)
Philip P. Betancourt
Pseira and Knossos: The Transformation of an East Cretan Seaport
Thomas M. Brogan
Pottery Production and the Limits of Local Exchange: The Lily Jars from LM IB Levels at Mochlos
and the Surrounding Coastal Plain
Joseph W. Shaw
Kommos as a Gateway to South Crete
Elpida Hadjidaki
A Possible Minoan Harbor on South Crete
xx
CRETE BEYOND THE PALACES
SESSION II: SOCIETY AND RELIGION (YIANNIS TZEDAKIS, CHAIR)
Leslie Preston Day and Lynn M. Snyder
The “Big House” at Vronda, Kavousi, and the “Great House” at Karphi: Evidence for Social
Structure in LM IIIC Crete
Theodore Eliopoulos
Gournia, Vronda, Kephala Vasilikis: A Triad of Interrelated Shrines of the Expiring Minoan Age on
the Isthmus of Ierapetra
Nancy L. Klein
The Architecture of the LM IIIC Shrine (Building G) at Vronda, Kavousi
Metaxia Tsipopoulou
Halasmenos. Destroyed but not Invisible: New Insights on the LM IIIC Period in the Isthmus of
Ierapetra
Kevin T. Glowacki
Household Analysis in Dark Age Crete
Maria C. Shaw
Minoan Religion at Kommos
SESSION III: CHRONOLOGY AND HISTORY (NANNO MARINATOS, CHAIR)
Jeffrey S. Soles
New LM IB Construction at Mochlos
Ann Nicgorski
A New Larnax with Figural Decoration from the LM III Cemetery at Mochlos
Margaret S. Mook
From Foundation to Abandonment: New Ceramic Phasing for the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron
Age on the Kastro at Kavousi
Paula Perlman
Writing on the Walls: The Architectural Context of Archaic Greek Inscriptions
Brice Erickson
Crete and the Greek World in the 6th and 5th Centuries B.C.
Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan
The Late Hellenistic Period in East Crete
Wednesday, July 12
SESSION IV: LANDSCAPE AND SURVEY (ELENI HATZAKI, CHAIR)
Donald C. Haggis
Past and Present Perspectives on Archaeological Landscapes of Mirabello
Vance Watrous
The Bronze Age Landscape around Gournia
Barbara J. Hayden
The Nature of Settlement from LM III through the Early Iron Age in the Vrokastro Area
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Jennifer Moody
American Archaeological Survey Work in West Crete
Krzysztof Nowicki
South of Kavousi, East of Mochlos: The West Siteia Mountains at the End of the Bronze Age
SESSION V: TECHNOLOGY (MARIA ANDREADAKI-VLAZAKI, CHAIR)
James Muhly
Chrysokamino and the Beginnings of Metal Technology on Crete and in the Aegean
Tristan Carter
Mochlos and Melos. A Special Relationship? Creating Identity and Status in Minoan Crete
R. Angus K. Smith
LM III Mochlos and the Regional Consumption of Pottery
EXCURSIONS TO THE CRETAN SITES
Thursday, July 13
Kavousi: Chrysokamino or Kastro, Vronda
Friday, July 14
Pseira, Mochlos
Saturday, July 15
Pacheia Ammos (Seager’s Villa), Gournia, Kommos
xxi
Opening Remarks
James Muhly, Director
American School of Classical Studies at Athens
In December of 1979, the Archaeological Institute of America celebrated its centennial in Boston. It was the creation of the AIA in 1879 that made possible the establishment, two years later in 1881, of a School of Classical Studies in Athens. We are
the child of the AIA. At our parent’s centennial, one of our most remarkable members, the late Homer Thompson, delivered an address entitled, “In Pursuit of the
Past: The American Role 1879–1979.” In describing the contribution of American
excavators to our understanding of Aegean prehistory, Thompson said:
The earliest and one of the most significant was Harriet Boyd’s excavation
of Gournia in Crete in the years 1901–1904. Gournia still stands as the best
preserved, most complete and, one might say, most likeable example of
what must have been a normal Minoan town. Both the excavation and the
publication were exemplary. Miss Boyd was the first of a succession of
extremely competent women who have directed American expeditions . . .
(Praise from Caesar is high praise, indeed.) We have a number of these women on
the program of this conference. We have even managed to find room for a few male
archaeologists (in order to be politically correct). Right from the start of planning,
some three years ago, I wanted this centennial celebration to be, first and foremost,
a tribute to Harriet Boyd Hawes, one of the most remarkable figures in the history
of the American School and of American archaeology in Greece. She might have
been short of stature, but she was long on everything that mattered.
She did not, of course, work alone. The names of Richard Seager and Edith Hall
are mentioned again and again in the conference papers. Nor could I ever have
worked alone in organizing this centennial celebration. I cannot possibly mention
everyone who contributed to the success of this conference, but special mention
must be made of Liz Papageorgiou, who handled all details relating to the conference and the program; of Evi Sikla, who did most of the work on the accompanying
book that actually arrived from the printer in time for the opening of the conference;
of Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan, who organized the exhibition in the Gennadius Library and arranged for the loan of all the materials displayed in it; and to her husband Tom Brogan who arranged the trip to Crete and the reception at the INSTAP
Study Center. I cannot forget my colleagues on the Program Committee, Leslie Day
and Peggy Mook. None of this would have been possible without the support of
Malcolm Wiener, Trustee of the School and founder of INSTAP and of the East Crete
Study Center.
xxiv
CRETE BEYOND THE PALACES
Finally, my friend and colleague Philip Betancourt. We all have great plans; Phil
has great plans. But Phil also knows how to make those plans become reality.
Every Bronze Age archaeologist now working in Greece owes a great debt to
Philip Betancourt. I am delighted that we, here at the School, were able to share in
celebrating his recent honorary degree from the University of Athens.
I want to welcome all of you to Athens on behalf of the American School and to
thank all of you for coming out this evening for the opening of our Crete 2000 celebration. I am sure that all will go well, in spite of the heat, and that we will all profit from what will be presented to us in the days ahead.
Theodoros Pangalos
Minister of Culture
Dear Friends,
I heard with great interest of the International Conference “Crete 2000” organized by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Unfortunately, for reasons beyond my control, I cannot be present at the opening of the conference in the
Gennadius Library of the School.
The work that the American School has accomplished in Greece is of great
importance. The positive results of its excavations and the preservation of Greek
monuments have made the School an important cultural organization in Athens
and all of Greece.
The School’s academic programs help the students learn more about Greek civilization and the lofty Greek Spirit, thus contributing to intercultural contacts among
peoples.
It is of great significance to encourage students to come in direct contact with
the ancient Greek heritage that provides means of improving the quality of
human development and advancing a deeper intellectual understanding.
The School, through its important work, contributes to our efforts toward cultural development and progress, which, in combination with the improvement of
social life, do not constitute elements of luxury in contemporary societies, but
rather an essential for safeguarding human existence.
With these thoughts, I send you my greetings and best wishes for the success
of the conference.
Nicholas Burns
American Ambassador to Greece
It is a great pleasure and an honor to participate in the opening of the centennial tribute to the American School of Classical Studies’ work on Crete.
The year 2000 has spawned seemingly thousands of millennial and centennial celebrations of one kind or another around the world. Few that I know of,
however, can rival this celebration, which serves to mark three great achievements
simultaneously.
We celebrate the practical and path-breaking archaeological work done on Crete
in Mochlos, Pseira, Vrokastro, Kavousi, Gournia, and several other sites. We also
OPENING REMARKS
recognize the extraordinary efforts of one woman, Ms. Harriet Boyd, who smashed
the glass ceiling for women in this institution a century ago. And we are here to pay
homage to one hundred years of archaeological, social, and political bridge-building by the American School, which not only carries out academic research but
strengthens U.S.-Greek relations.
When Harriet Boyd arrived in Crete in 1900, the island had only two years earlier won partial autonomy from Turkish rule. Cretans were intent on building a new
era for themselves as modern and free Greeks.
The American School’s initial efforts in 1900, along with those of Sir Arthur
Evans at Knossos, gave Cretans a newfound sense of pride in their rich and substantial past. In this sense, the American School’s fabulous work between 1900 and
1914 deserves to be remembered by us today. So, too, do the most recent excavations since 1978, which phenomenally add to these achievements.
With 20/20 hindsight and the perspective of a century, we also commemorate the
personal accomplishments of Ms. Harriet Boyd, against extraordinary odds. Few
Americans in the second century of U.S.-Greek relations have overcome such great
obstacles to achieve such historic results.
Before Harriet Boyd began her archaeological sojourn on Crete, she volunteered as a Red Cross nurse in Epirus. Her subsequent three-year supervision of
the dig at Gournia, against the wishes of the American School’s director and without his assistance, stands as one of the most inspiring and courageous acts by an
American in Greece.
Harriet Boyd’s resolve was remarkable, and the publication of her final excavation report in 1908 was awe-inspiring as the first in the history of Cretan archaeology. As a Bostonian, I am proud that Harriet Boyd hailed from the city that we call
“The Athens of America.” In fact, Ms. Boyd, later in her career, even taught art history at Wellesley College, only one mile from my parents’ home.
Anyone who cares about the opportunities for young women in both Greece and
the U.S. should pause today to thank the life and memory of Harriet Boyd for
advancing both archaeology and the cause of women’s rights a century ago. She literally broke archaeology’s glass ceiling and led the way for women in the field one
hundred years ago.
Finally, in addition to the work on Crete, and Harriet Boyd’s achievements, there
is a final accomplishment of the American School that we honor—the magnificent
contribution to relations between Greece and the United States of America. After
two and a half years as the American ambassador, I am convinced of one thing: that
the contributions of private American groups, such as the American School, to the
construction of a strong and lasting friendship between our two countries exceeds
in value what those in government can only hope to achieve. On behalf of all the
American ambassadors to Greece during the past century, let me thank and congratulate all of you for all that you have done.
The American School has helped the Greek people to retrieve and rediscover
the awesome richness of their history, literature, and culture through its centurylong excavations at the Athenian Agora, Corinth, Samothrace, and on Crete.
One of my predecessors, Edward Capps, was so well respected for the work he
had done for the American School that he was named Minister to Greece at a critical time just after the First World War (1920–1921). He was a distinguished minister and later returned to the School as Chairman of the Managing Committee for
twenty years (1919–1939). Capps, Carl Blegen, Homer Thompson, Harriet Boyd,
Eugene Vanderpool, John Travlos, Lucy Talbott, and Alison Frantz all gave the
School an extraordinary strong foundation.
During the Second World War, the School, especially Loring Hall, was a refuge
for American diplomats stranded in Greece after the closure of our legation during
xxv
xxvi
CRETE BEYOND THE PALACES
the German occupation. Since the War and continuing into our new century, John
Camp, Steve Miller, Jim Muhly, Malcolm Wiener, and many others are leading the
way toward a second century of scholarly and human achievement.
American ambassadors, generals, journalists, and business people all come and
go as we serve the United States in Greece. However, it is those of you as archaeologists who return year after year, and sometimes even decade after decade, who
make the greatest difference in the long course of U.S.-Greek relations and leave
a true American imprint on Greece.
You have transformed America’s image of the Greek past and transported us
all to a higher level of friendship between our two countries than we could ever
have reached without you.
I want to thank you for that and for all that you will continue to do in the
months and years ahead as you live and write the history of our relations with the
Greek people in the 21st century.
Jeremy A. Sabloff
Williams Director,
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
It is an honor and a privilege to be here for this centennial celebration. The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology was established in 1887, and the Museum’s curators and staff are justly proud of its many
accomplishments over the past 113 years. From its initial work at Nippur in 1887,
to its path-breaking studies at Pachacamac, Memphis, Ur, Gordion, Gibeon, Tikal,
and Ban Chiang, among more than 350 expeditions, to its active field research this
year in 18 different countries around the globe from Mongolia to Bolivia, and its
cutting-edge analytic laboratory analyses, such as the recent discovery of the contents of King Midas’ funerary feast, the Museum has established itself as one of the
great museums of its type in the world.
Of all of its distinguished fieldwork, however, one of the research areas for
which it is most proud is the work that the University of Pennsylvania Museum
sponsored on Crete in the early part of this century. The work of renowned pioneers
like Harriet Boyd (Hawes), Edith Hall (Dohan)—who was to become curator of the
Museum’s Mediterranean Section—and Richard Seager in the first two decades of
the 20th century helped throw significant new light on archaeological understandings of Crete’s ancient history. This fieldwork and the subsequent generosity of the
Greek government allowed the Museum to build one of the most important documented collections of excavated archaeological materials from Crete outside of
Greece and to publish a series of important archaeological monographs. Our collection from Crete remains of significant utility to students and scholars from around
the world.
This important tradition of University of Pennsylvania Museum-sponsored research on Crete continues today with the studies of Dr. Barbara Hayden, who is
a senior research scientist at the Museum, at Vrokastro and its region. The Museum also is pleased to be associated in a small way with the research of Dr. Philip
Betancourt and Dr. James Muhly.
In broader terms, the Museum is also proud of its terrific Classical Greece gallery
that opened six years ago, as well as its award-winning web site which is now receiving approximately 15 million hits a year. This site (www.upenn.edu/museum)
OPENING REMARKS
features a well-illustrated section on the ancient Greek world with text in both English and Modern Greek. The site also has a section on the origins of the Olympic
games and one on the ongoing remote-sensing studies of Dr. David Romano and his
colleagues at Corinth. As regards this great site, the Museum is delighted to share
the distinction with the American School of Classical Studies of having the distinguished scholar, Dr. Charles K. Williams II, as an important long-standing member of its Board.
As a student of ancient Maya civilization, I naturally find the Minoan, Mycenaean, and later civilizations of Greece quite different from the Maya. Nevertheless,
scholars studying the civilizations of Mexico and northern Central America, on the
one hand, and scholars studying past Greek civilizations do share a deep appreciation of the great achievements of the peoples of these ancient civilizations, a strong
interest in knowing more about them and preserving their remains, and an unwavering commitment to bring understanding of the accomplishments of these fascinating ancient cultures to modern peoples around the globe.
Again, I am very happy to be here and pleased to add my words of welcome to
everyone on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania Museum.
xxvii
Figure 1. Harriet Boyd and her potsherds, 1902 (Archaeology 18 [1965], 94).