Mochlos IVA: Period III. The House of the Metal Merchant and Other Buildings in the Neopalatial Town (Prehistory Monographs) 9781931534338, 9781623034382, 1931534330

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Mochlos IVA Period III. The House of the Metal Merchant and Other Buildings in the Neopalatial Town Volume 1 TEXT

Frontispiece. Inscribed copper ingot (IVA.150). Watercolor D. Faulmann.

PREHISTORY MONOGRAPHS 68

Mochlos IVA Period III. The House of the Metal Merchant and Other Buildings in the Neopalatial Town Volume 1 TEXT By Jeffrey S. Soles Contributions by Tristan Carter, Joanne Cutler†, Georgios Doudalis, Douglas Faulmann, Jonathan M. Flood, Alessandra R. Giumlia-Mair, Angela M. Hussein, Luke Kaiser, Olga Krzyszkowska, Evi Margaritis, Jerolyn Morrison, Dimitra Mylona, Maria Ntinou, Katerina Papayianni, Zophia Stos-Gale, and Polly Westlake

Edited by Jeffrey S. Soles and Costis Davaras†

Published by INSTAP Academic Press Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2022

Design and Production INSTAP Academic Press, Philadelphia, PA Printing and Binding HF Group – Acmebinding, Charlestown, MA

INSTAP Academic Press, a part of the Institute for Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP), was established to publish projects relevant to the history of the Aegean world, in particular from the Paleolithic to the 8th century b.c. It is a scholarly nonprofit publisher specializing in high-quality publications of primary source material from archaeological excavations as well as individual studies dealing with material from the prehistoric periods—exemplified by its Prehistory Monographs series of volumes. INSTAP is committed to engaging a variety of audiences by disseminating knowledge through its scholarly publishing program, which produces award-winning monographs at reasonable prices that are both academically and popularly acclaimed.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Soles, Jeffrey S., 1942- author. Title: Mochlos IVA : period III, the house of the metal merchant and other buildings in the neopalatial town / by Jeffrey Soles. Other titles: Mochlos Four A Description: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : INSTAP Academic Press, 2022. | Series: Prehistory monographs; 68 | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Contents: v. 1. Text -- v. 2. Concordance, tables, figures, and plates | Summary: “This two-volume set-which includes the concordance, tables, figures, and plates in the second volumepresents the finds from the Greek-American excavation of a Late Bronze Age town that was carried out between 1989 and 2012 on the island of Mochlos in northeastern Crete. Its focus is the House of the Metal Merchant, the best preserved of the buildings in the excavation, where two large bronze hoards were discovered in 1993 and 2004. The book also describes the Neopalatial town plan and 13 other structures in the settlement, including two from the 1908 excavation, as a traveler would come upon them when he/she entered the town in the Late Minoan IB period. It leads the reader on the route one might take on the two roads that ran through the settlement-one a narrow corridor, the other a major avenue-and describes the buildings that the visitor would pass as he/she came upon them. They include seven ordinary houses, a hostel, two shrines and their adjacent service buildings, and one storage facility. The text volume discusses each building, including a description of its stratigraphy, its architecture, its small finds, its ecofactual material, its function, and the use of its different rooms. Volume 2 contains the concordance, tables, and all the images”-- Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2021040224 (print) | LCCN 2021040225 (ebook) | ISBN 9781931534338 (v. 1 ; hardcover) | ISBN 9781931534338 (v. 2 ; hardcover) | ISBN 9781623034382 (pdf) Subjects: LCSH: Mochlos Plain (Greece)--Antiquities. | Excavations (Archaeology)--Greece--Mochlos Plain. | Bronze age--Greece--Mochlos Plain. Classification: LCC DF221.C8 M6654 2022 (print) | LCC DF221.C8 (ebook) | DDC 939/.18--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021040224 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021040225

Copyright © 2022 INSTAP Academic Press Philadelphia, Pennsylvania All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Preface.. . . . . . ..................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....vii Acknowledgments. . ............................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... xi Abbreviations................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... xv Introduction. History and Plan of the Neopalatial Town, Jeffrey S. Soles.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 1 1. House C.3: The House of the Metal Merchant, Jeffrey S. Soles with contributions by Tristan Carter, Georgios Doudalis, Douglas Faulmann, Jonathan M. Flood, Luke Kaiser, Evi Margaritis, Jerolyn Morrison, Dimitra Mylona, Maria Ntinou, and Katerina Papayianni. ... 11 2. House of the Theran Refugee and other Buildings in the Neopalatial Town, Jeffrey S. Soles with contributions by Tristan Carter, Georgios Doudalis, Douglas Faulmann, Jonathan M. Flood, Luke Kaiser, Evi Margaritis, Jerolyn Morrison, Dimitra Mylona, Maria Ntinou, and Katerina Papayianni..................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 61 3. Metal Objects, Materials, and Sources, Jeffrey S. Soles and Alessandra Giumlia-Mair with contributions by Zophia Stos-Gale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 223 4. Seals and Clay Sealing, Olga Krzyszkowska. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 277 5. Small Finds of Bone, Ceramic, Shell, and Stone, Jeffrey S. Soles and Angela M. Hussein with contributions by Alessandra Giumlia-Mair, Dimitra Mylona, and Polly Westlake. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 291 6. Textile Production, Joanne Cutler†. ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 329 7. Obsidian Consumption, Tristan Carter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 347 8. Ground Stone Implements, Jonathan M. Flood and Tristan Carter.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 391

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9. The Plasters, Polly Westlake. ............... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 427 10. Animal Remains: Exploring Human-Animal Relations, Dimitra Mylona. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 433 11. Microvertebrate Fauna, Katerina Papayianni.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 461 12. Palaeobotany: Cultivation and Agricultural Practices, Evi Margaritis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 473 13. Wood Charcoal, Maria Ntinou. . ......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 487 14. Everyday Life in a Prosperous Minoan Town, ca. 1700–1430 b.c., Jeffrey S. Soles.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 495 R eferences. . ..................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 517 Index.. . . . . . . ..................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 543

Preface

In this two-volume set we present the results of excavations carried out by our GreekAmerican archaeological team, directed by Jeffrey S. Soles and Costis Davaras†, in the Neopalatial Minoan town on the islet of Mochlos, located just off the northeastern coast of Crete. A major part of the work that we conducted on the island in four different campaigns—the first in 1989–1994, the second in 2004–2005, the third in 2009–2010, and the last in 2012— is described, as well as some of Richard Seager’s investigations on the island in 1908 (Seager 1909). The excavation exposed remains of several different periods, including most of the Bronze Age and some later periods: the Archaic, Late Hellenistic, and Byzantine periods. The largest amount of archaeological material and the focus of the project, however, has been the Bronze Age, which spans the years from ca. 3100 to 1250 b.c. at Mochlos and includes the Prepalatial, Protopalatial, and Neopalatial periods of the Minoan civilization, along with the Late Minoan (LM) III or Mycenaean period. These time frames have been identified in the Mochlos publications as Periods I, II, III, and IV, and the most extensive of these periods is Period III, the Neopalatial period, which is the focus here. The Greek-American team used the years between and after its excavation campaigns as study seasons to publish results of the excavation and to carry out an extensive site conservation program. We have produced nine books to date in the Mochlos excavation series. In the first three books we published remains of Period III that were located on the Cretan coast opposite the islet where a workshop and several farmhouses were found. These excavations were presented in Mochlos IA (Soles 2003), Mochlos IB (Barnard and Brogan 2003), and Mochlos IC (Soles et al. 2004). In the second group of three books—Mochlos IIA (Soles 2008b), Mochlos IIB (Smith 2010), and Mochlos IIC (Soles et al. 2011) we presented the remains of Period IV on the island, where a small LM III settlement was built on top of ruined

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Minoan houses, and on the coast opposite, where a cemetery of chamber tombs was located. In a seventh volume, remains of the Hellenistic period on the islet were described in a single book, Mochlos III (Vogeikoff-Brogan 2014). Here in Mochlos IVA we publish material from the buildings in the Period III town on the islet and discuss their use. In Mochlos IVB we will catalog and analyze the pottery that was found in these buildings. These volumes are the first comprehensive look at the Neopalatial town on the islet, and they will be followed by two more works, one describing the main ceremonial complex that was located in the midst of the Neopalatial town and another concerned with a workshop area in the town. The aim of these volumes is to present as much of the Neopalatial town plan as possible, along with its individual buildings and their contents, and to reconstruct the history of the town, the activities of its occupants, and the role the town played in Minoan society. In Mochlos IVA we describe 12 buildings (B.1, B.4, C.1–C.6, C.8, C.10, C.12, D.7), a bench shrine, and a small temenos. Most of these buildings are incomplete. Some were previously excavated in part or in their entirety by Seager (B.1, C.1, C.2, C.6, C.8), others were partly destroyed by beach erosion or earthquake (C.1, C.4, C.12), one remains largely buried beneath a Byzantine building and modern cemetery (C.4), and all were damaged by later Mycenaean and Hellenistic activity. Only two or three might be described as “well preserved,” and House C.3, the House of the Metal Merchant, is the best example of these, with its ground floor and basement walls still standing and many of its contents intact. Despite their varying states of preservation, most of the buildings produced large amounts of Neopalatial pottery in remarkably well-stratified deposits. The earliest deposits date to Middle Minoan (MM) IIIA and mark the beginning of the new town that was laid out ca. 1700 b.c. Most of the houses belong to this initial phase of building, while some date only to the LM IB period (ca. 1530 b.c.), when new settlers arrived and the town was enlarged to accommodate them. All structures were standing and in use at the time of the final LM IB destruction (ca. 1430 b.c.), which demolished them all and ended the Minoan occupation of the site that had lasted over a thousand years. We present here all the evidence about these buildings that a modern excavation can uncover. The book begins with a presentation of the site’s excavation and a description of the town’s plan and development in the Neopalatial period. Following this introduction, Chapters 1 and 2 discuss the physical remains of the different buildings, beginning with the House of the Metal Merchant, which preserved two great metal hoards, and ending with the temenos, which served as one of the town’s principal shrines. Each building is presented in the same manner, starting with an overview and then proceeding with a roomby-room description ordered as one might move through the building. The stratigraphy of each room is discussed first, followed by its architecture and finds, and then, whenever possible, the identification of its function is considered. As in previous Mochlos volumes, a complete list of artifacts and ecofacts found in the room is presented after the description of each room. The finds are discussed in more detail in the following chapters—metal objects in Chapter 3; seals in Chapter 4; ceramic, stone, bone, and shell objects in Chapter 5; loomweights and evidence for textile production in Chapter 6; obsidian and ground stone implements in Chapters 7 and 8, respectively; and the plaster in Chapter 9. As part of the excavation program, an exhaustive soil sampling project was carried out, and in Chapters 10–13 the organic remains that were retrieved as a result of this effort are described. These include the animal remains, the microvertebrate fauna, the palaeobotany, and the wood charcoal. In Chapter 14 the principal author makes general conclusions about life at Mochlos in the Neopalatial period. This is followed by the references and index. Volume 2 of Mochlos IVA begins with a concordance matching field numbers used in most architectural drawings with the bold catalog numbers in this two-volume set. Tables, figures, and plates complete this companion volume of the set.

PREFACE

ix

Minoan civilization was an urban civilization, and Neopalatial Mochlos was an important town in this civilization, partly because of its location on an important trade route that allowed its inhabitants to prosper and partly because of its function as a center of production that met the needs of the surrounding population and travelers passing through on ships. In addition, Mochlos also played an important role in the religious activities of the region and was a sacred place to those who lived there and to many visitors. The town reached its peak of development in the LM IB period, the last century of Minoan civilization, and most of the remains that the excavation was able to document belong to this period, a time before its destruction in 1430 b.c. Jeffrey S. Soles Costis Davaras†

Acknowledgments

The Greek-American excavations at Mochlos were carried out in collaboration with, and under the auspices of, the Hellenic Archaeological Service and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) with the support of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lasithi (formerly the 24th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities). A number of individuals served as supervisors of the ephoreia over the course of the excavation, including Costis Davaras† (1989–1994), Nikos Papadakis (1995–2002), Vili Apostolakou (2002– 2012), and Chrysa Sofianou (2012–present), and we are indebted to all of them for their support and encouragement. We are also indebted to the directors of ASCSA during these years who supported the project, particularly William D.E. Coulson, James D. Muhly, Jack L. Davis, and James Wright. Excavation is an expensive undertaking. The project has been funded by several agencies, including the Institute for Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP), which has supported the project every year since 1989 and provided the lion’s share of the funding, and also the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provided funding for three campaigns (1989–1992, 2005–2006, 2010–2011), the Loeb Classical Library Foundation of Harvard University (2004, 2005, 2009, 2012), and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation (1992–1994, 1996–1997, 1999–2000, 2004). Additional support has been provided by the Solow Art and Architecture Foundation, the William A. Stern Foundation, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Private donors also played an important role in supporting excavation, and we are especially grateful for the support of the late Baron Philippe and Baroness Marion Lambert who were generous friends of the excavation from its first season of work in 1989. We are also indebted to Michael D. Ratner who excavated on the project, made an important discovery that has been published in a preliminary report (Soles 2007),

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and supported the project generously. Last but not least is Karen Morely Westcott who has supported the project every year for nearly 20 years. Mochlos IVA, like all Mochlos volumes, is a collaborative publication that has relied upon the expertise of several scholars and the hard work of many students. The major contributors are the authors whose names are listed in the Chapters 3–13: Alessandra Giumlia-Mair, Zophia Stos-Gale, Olga Krzyszkowska, Angela M. Hussein, Joanne Cutler†, Tristan Carter, Jonathan M. Flood, Polly Westlake, Dimitra Mylona, Katerina Papayianni, Evi Margaritis, and Maria Ntinou. Many of these scholars have published material in earlier Mochlos volumes and are permanent members of the Mochlos team. Several of these individuals would like to express their own thanks to others who helped them in various ways. Olga Krzyszkowska wishes to thank Eleni Papadopoulou for permission to study and photograph the Vrysinas seal that she discusses in her chapter. Dimitra Mylona would like to thank David Reese for undertaking the first stage of processing and identifying the molluscan remains. Katerina Papayianni wishes to thank Petros Lymberakis and Lars Van den Hoek Ostende for providing micromammal comparative material, as well as Stefania Michalopoulou for assisting with the reptile-amphibian identifications. She is also indebted to ASCSA for an Advanced Fellowship in 2008–2009, which funded a large part of her study. No less important are the individuals who have studied the pottery and provided the dates for the various deposits discussed in the book, Jerolyn Morrison, who is responsible for the publication of the pottery in Mochlos IVB, and Georgios Doudalis and Luke Kaiser, who undertook the statistical analysis of the deposits. The lists of finds, including the floral and faunal material, that follow the descriptions of individual rooms in Chapters 1 and 2, are also the work of all these individuals. Douglas Faulmann, who has served as the project’s architect and artist every year since 1990, is also a key member of the Mochlos team. He provides invaluable expertise as an important interpreter of the site’s architecture and stratigraphy and is responsible for most of the state plans, architectural sections, and small find drawings presented in this book. Finally, we would like to thank the many people who supported our work in other ways, especially Angela Ratigan, who organized our apotheke, Kelly Barnard, Tom Brogan, and Ann Nicgorski, who helped identify pottery fabrics and shapes early in the project, and Stanley Chang and Scott Rosenjack, who put our statistical tables in order. We are also grateful to the numerous undergraduate students from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro who have worked so hard on the project over the years, especially Chase Brinkley, Ryan Burns, Kelly Caldwell, Damon Cassiano, Sarah Duncan, Brianna Jenkins, Ari Lukas, Robert Mallette, Benjamin Miller, Jessie Miller, Samuel Previtte, Joey Roberts, Lauren Souther, and Kristen Welsh. In 1997 the INSTAP Study Center for East Crete opened its doors and transformed the way excavation is conducted in Crete and in many other parts of the Aegean. It provided many resources that were previously lacking and upgraded much of the equipment that excavations had been using. Among the new services it offered was a state of the art conservation laboratory, directed by Stephania Chlouveraki and more recently by Kathy Hall, which provided the project with experienced conservators. Voula Golfomitsou treated the bronze objects published in this book, and Matina Tzari and Zoe Chalatsi conserved most of the pottery and small finds. The Study Center also provided photographic services under the direction of Chronis Papanikolopoulos, who transitioned us into digital photography, making a world of difference in the quality of the project’s photographs, and introduced us first to overhead boom photography and then, with Douglas Faulmann, to drone photography. Nearly all the small find photographs in the volume were taken by Papanikolopoulos, while the site photographs were taken mostly by the author assisted by Jesse Obert and a series of amateur photographers, who are thanked in Mochlos IIA (Soles 2008b, xx– vii). The study center also provided the services of Eleanor Huffman, its business manager,

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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who assumed the burden of hiring Greek workers, an incredibly bureaucratic and timeconsuming process, thereby liberating the project’s directors from traveling to Siteia every month and standing in line to pay IKA (Ιδρύματος Κοινωνικών Ασφαλίσεων/Idryma Koinonikon Asfaliseon/Social Insurance Institution) benefits. Above all the project is indebted to the trench masters, who kept the excavation notebooks and directed the digging in their trenches, to the trench assistants, who assisted them in the field, and to the Greek workers, who did the actual digging. We were lucky to attract such a large number of able and enthusiastic teammates. Many of them have already been thanked in the acknowledgments of previous Mochlos volumes, and to those names already cited should be added Caitie Barrett, Konstantinos Chalikias, Ryan Clarke, Chad DiGregorio, Georgios Doudalis, Jonathan M. Flood, Karen Necciai, Jesse Obert, Douglas Park, Ariel Pearce-Chalikias, and Evi Saliaka. Many of them were graduate students at the time, but they have since gone on to earn their doctoral degrees and make names for themselves as distinguished archaeologists. Finally, we would like to thank the anonymous reviewers of this book for their careful reading of the manuscript before its publication and suggestions for improvement. We also thank the INSTAP Academic Press and its stalwart copy editor who caught numerous errors in the manuscript and corrected them all. Any that remain are ours alone. Jeffrey S. Soles Costis Davaras†

Abbreviations

a length of olecranon AAS atomic absorption spectrometry ANM Hagios Nikolaos Museum AS architectural stone inventory number ASCSA American School of Classical Studies at Athens avg average AW anterior width B bone; blade (in the context of chipped stone) inventory number Bd breadth distal BL buccal length Bp breadth proximal C ceramic inventory number CA copper alloy inventory number ca. circa cat. catalog CF Coarse Ware fabric CMS Corpus der minoischen und mykenischen Siegel

cm centimeter(s) cm2 square centimeters C/P canine or premolar CS chipped stone inventory number d. diameter DC depth of condyle Dd depth distal de distal end di. ep. distal epiphysis dims. dimensions dist. distal Dp depth proximal dp4 deciduous maxillary premolar EB Early Bronze Age ED-XRF energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence EM Early Minoan est. estimated F fused (animal bones); flake (chipped stone); faience (jewelry)

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FF Fine Buff fabric FM Furumark Motif number FORTH-IESL Foundation for Research and Technology–Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser FS Furumark Shape number g gram(s) Gl greater length GLl greater length lateral GLm greater length medial Glb glenoid breadth GS ground stone inventory number h. height HM Herakleion Museum HT height indet. indeterminate INSTAP Institute for Aegean Prehistory inv. inventory kg kilogram(s) L left L. length LBA Late Bronze Age LC Late Cycladic LIA lead isotype analysis LIBS laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy LL lingual length LM Late Minoan m meter M mineral inventory number 1 M permanent maxillary molar M3 permanent mandibular molar m1 deciduous maxillary molar 2 m square meters m3 deciduous mandibular molar max. maximum min. minimum MM Middle Minoan MNI minimum number of individuals of marine invertebrates mo(s) month(s) MS Mediterranean Section number, Penn Museum, Philadelphia, PA, USA

n/a not applicable n number (count) NAA neutron activation analysis NISP number of identifiable specimens for each anatomical part/taxon of mammals and fish no. number (designation) nonID nonidentifiable fragments of mammals and fish P pottery inventory number 3 P premolar Pb lead inventory number PCA Principal Components Analysis pe proximal end PE length to the posterior emargination pers. comm. personal communication pers. obv. personal observation Pl plaster inventory number pr. ep. proximal epiphysis prep preparation piece pres. preserved PW posterior width R right RRN Royal Road North RT roof tile rej rejuvenation piece s shaft S stone SE southeastern Sh shell inventory number SM Siteia Museum TAW talonid width th. thickness tr. trace amounts TRW trigonid width vol. volume w. width XRF X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy yr(s) year(s)

Introduction

History and Plan of the Neopalatial Town Jeffrey S. Soles

History of Excavation Richard Seager’s 1908 Excavation During the 1908 excavation of Mochlos Richard Seager uncovered a sufficiently large area of the Neopalatial town to describe its chronology and general layout in an article published in the 1909 issue of the American Journal of Archaeology. He opened “four cuttings” on the south slope of the island (Seager 1909, 276) that are visible in the photograph of the island published in his book on the Prepalatial cemetery at Mochlos (1912, fig. 1). These were long rectangular trenches, two lying near the island’s shore on either side of the small modern church of Hagios Nikolaos, the western ca. 85 m long and the eastern ca. 55 m long, and two others lying above these higher up the slope. The lower trenches were more productive in his view and enabled him to uncover “the line of [Minoan] houses

along the water’s edge.” The upper trenches were badly disturbed by later occupation and produced little if any information about the Minoan town. He was able to distinguish four blocks of houses, however, and “parts of perhaps twelve LM I houses in all” (1909, 278), but he concluded that “a connected plan of the houses was not possible” and published the plan of only one house located in the southeast trench, “the only one which presents any features of the slightest interest” (1909, 277). Three of the blocks, which he named A, B, and C, lay to the west of the church where he was also able to identify parts of the two streets that separated Block A from B and Block B from C. Block D lay to the east of the church, where the only house that he

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described and provided a plan for, House D, was located (1909, 293–302, figs. 14–16). In his description of the site Seager proceeded from west to east, starting with Blocks A, B, and C, and then the area above them before moving to Block D and finally the area above it. He described the stratigraphy and major Minoan finds from the houses to the west of the church, but practically nothing of the architecture. He identified three Neopalatial houses here, all damaged by Late Hellenistic occupation in the second and first centuries b.c., which he described as “Roman.” He wrote that “almost no walls” of the westernmost house, House A, survived other than part of its eastern facade that faced the street separating Blocks A and B. “The entire core of the building had been swept away in Roman times” (1909, 278). He noted “the massive east wall” of the Block A house, “built of very large, roughly hewn stones” and concluded that it “appears to have belonged to a house of some importance,” but the whole interior of the house was destroyed by later occupation. He found only one intact Late Minoan (LM) I deposit in the whole block, in a room that had been partly “swept away by the sea” (1909, 278), which contained a large, bridge-spouted jar decorated with lilies and crocuses, nearly identical to a LM IB jar (IB.338) found in the Artisans’ Quarter in 1991 (1909, 280, pl. VI; Soles 2003, 17, frontispiece; Barnard and Brogan 2003, 64–65, fig. 26, pl. 16). Seager also mentioned the road bounding Block A on the east and noted that it “has a deep Roman wall built across it some 20 meters from the water’s edge” (1909, 280–281). He noted that Block B “seems also to be a single house” although its interior was also destroyed by later occupation. Its western wall was “built of large, roughly hewn stones, and appears to have presented a solid front to the street with no entrance on this side. The only existing doorway opens on the easternmost of the two roads. . . .” (1909, 281). The rooms in the western part of the house were “choked with cinders and charred woodwork” as well as sunbaked bricks that had been thoroughly fired in the destruction of the house. Block C, which lay between Block B and the church, had also “been cleared of all LM I deposits by Roman walls” (1909, 283); indeed, the easternmost rooms of the house were “actually rebuilt by the Roman settlers, who took part of the old house and made a new facade of small ashlar

blocks on the eastern side, which was the front of this later house” (1909, 284). He wrote that “a good many vases of the poorer sort of LM I ware” were found throughout this house, most having “a poor plant wreath on the shoulder,” now identified as a “foliate band” (Barnard and Brogan 2003, fig. 57, nos. 1–3). Seager characterized this motif as “a design which is very common on these sites toward the end of LM I when LM II was already flourishing at Knossos” (1909, 282). Four of the vases, including two beak-spouted jugs, a bridge-spouted jar, and an alabastron imported from Knossos, are illustrated in his publication (1909, figs. 4, 5). Other vases in the house included a painted strainer decorated with a row of lilies along its base (1909, fig. 4, pl. 7). All these vases have good parallels with the LM IB pottery from the Mochlos Artisans’ Quarter and the houses published in this volume from the settlement area on the island. In the trench above these blocks he found the continuation of the road separating Blocks B and C but was unable to distinguish the divisions of various houses. He noted that “the entire range of rooms [located here] was absolutely empty” except for two bronze hoards, which he described in some detail, that were uncovered on either side of the road (1909, 286–288). One of these is also published in this volume. Block D, or at least the part that lay along the coast, was better preserved, and Seager describes it in more detail. “Here the houses were all of large size, with massive outer walls, and showed by the presence of central column bases in some of the rooms that they possessed important upper floors” (1909, 288). He identified three houses in the block, one on the west, one in the middle with a “very heavy wall” on its west, which “was badly cut into by the big House D [on the east] in which it was partly incorporated” (1909, 290). He described the eastern house as “the largest and most pretentious found thus far on Mochlos” (1909, 293) and devoted several pages to it in his publication (1909, 293–301). He also made important stratigraphic discoveries here. In two places he reported good Middle Minoan (MM) III deposits stratified beneath LM I floors. In the western part of the house he found 18 MM III vases, “most of them nearly entire,” beneath the LM I floor. “The whole space confined by the MM III foundations was filled with these broken vases packed into a clay soil over which the floor of the

HISTORY AND PLAN OF THE NEOPALATIAL TOWN

later room was laid” (1909, 291). In the eastern part of the house he found very similar stratigraphy. “Below the floor level [in this part of the house] a few cups of a slightly earlier class were found, showing that these rooms were built in MM III and continued in use throughout the LM I period” (1909, 297). He did not publish any of this earlier material, but reported MM III pottery elsewhere on the site, including a rubbish heap located somewhere in Block C from which he was able to reconstruct two MM III vases, both decorated with tortoise shell ripple “made of the finest quality of buff clay covered with a lustrous polished buff slip” (1909, 284, fig. 2, pl. 8:1). He also reports occasionally finding sherds of

3

this type stratified directly beneath the LM I floors and above MM I polychrome ware, although he does not say exactly where. On the basis of these discoveries in the settlement, and probably also because of the extensive MM III remains he found in the area of the Prepalatial cemetery, he concluded that the Neopalatial town began in the MM III pottery phase and lasted until it was destroyed in LM I (1909, 275). The area above Block D was not as well preserved, and Seager reports only “a row of fifteen rooms,” which were “entirely covered by Roman buildings,” belonging to “the scanty remains of small LM I houses” (1909, 302–303).

Greek-American Excavation of 1989–1994, 2004–2005, 2009–2010, 2012 One of the principal goals of the Greek-American excavation when it began in 1989 was to reassess the state of the Neopalatial remains on Mochlos (Soles and Davaras 1992, 419). Was the picture as bleak as Seager thought? He concluded his publication by observing that “the actual space cleared is very small compared with the inhabited area, but on a site so built over in later times the only place where earlier objects can be preserved is where they are covered by a great depth of soil” (Seager 1909, 303) and that these areas had been excavated in the lower of his four trenches. Thus, there was little worthwhile work left to do, the only exception being House D, which warranted further investigation. Probably because of Seager’s pessimistic observations no further work was done on the island until the 1970s, when Soles and Davaras returned to clean and better document the area of the Prepalatial cemetery (Soles and Davaras 1992, 416; Soles 1992). This work was followed by an investigation of the settlement area, as a result of which it was possible to study the houses that Seager excavated in Blocks B and D in more detail and to complete state plans for both (Soles 1978). At this time the first map of the island was also completed, showing the topography and the location of various remains that Seager excavated (Soles 1978, fig. 1; Soles and Davaras 1992, fig. 2). As a result of these investigations it became clear that there was plenty of work left to be done on the island and Seager’s pessimism was not fully warranted. It was not until 1989, however, that it was possible to obtain

an excavation permit from the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. The project was organized as a Greek-American excavation with Soles, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Davaras, then Ephor of Antiquities in eastern Crete, serving as co-directors. In order to study and map areas excavated by Seager and begin new excavations, the GreekAmerican team surveyed the island anew and established a grid over it (Figs. 1, 2; Pl. 1A). The grid was divided into 35 areas, each 50 m2 and oriented along north–south, east–west axes (Fig. 2; Soles and Davaras 1992, fig. 2). These areas were labeled from A to F north–south and 1 to 7 east–west, so each area could be identified accordingly as A1, A2, B1, B2, etc. Each area was in turn divided into 100 potential trenches, each 5 m2, and each trench was given its own number, beginning with 100 in the southwest corner of the 50 m2 area and ending with 10000 in the northeast corner. A locus system was then used to carry out the excavation: each feature was dug separately and given a locus number that was based on the trench number. The first feature encountered in Area E3, Trench 7800, for example, was a wall, identified as Locus 7801, that ran at a northeast–southwest angle through the trench. The second feature was a deposit of brown soil just to the south of the wall with numerous pottery fragments; it was identified as Locus 4802. If the locus was a deposit of soil like 4802, it might be excavated in several pails or passes that were normally 0.05–0.10 m deep. The first

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pass was referred to as Locus 4802.1, the second as 4802.2, and so on. All architectural loci have been discarded in the present publication. Loci identifying deposits have been retained, however, and finds from these loci are identified by their locus numbers so their contexts are readily identifiable. Pails have been included with the locus numbers only if they turned out to be significant. Further details concerning the method of excavation are described in Mochlos IIA (Soles 2008b, 6). Special finds published in this book are also given an inventory number prefaced by the initial letter of the material out of which the find was made, P for pottery, C for ceramic, GS for ground stone, etc. In this volume and other Mochlos volumes these finds are also identified with catalog numbers that begin with the number of the volume in which the find is fully published, IA, IB, IC, IIA, IIB, IIC, III, IVA, IVB, etc. These numbers, which are arranged in numerical order in their respective publications, also serve as bibliographical references. All finds have three numbers: the first is the catalog number, the second is the original inventory number that appears in drawings done at the time of excavation (field number), and the third is the locus number where it was found. For example, the first find listed in this publication is a loomweight from the House of the Metal Merchant that is identified as IVA.729 and followed by its inventory number in parentheses (C 1447) where its locus number (E3 68/7817.1) would also be located were it not already provided for the deposit as a whole. The Greek-American team began in 1989 by investigating areas in and around those that Seager excavated with the immediate goal of clarifying Seager’s earlier work. We opened two trenches in Area D2, five trenches in Area E3, three adjacent trenches in Area F3, and four trenches in Area E4 (Soles and Davaras 1992, fig. 6). The trenches in Area D2 and those in Areas E3 and F3 were located on either side of Seager’s southwest cutting. Those in D2 lay at its western end, just outside Block A, and had not been previously excavated. Those in Areas E3 and F3 were located at its eastern end in Block C. One of them (F3 9800) had been excavated by Seager, but the other seven had not. The trenches in Area E4 were located at the western end of his southeast cutting, Block D, and turned out to have been excavated in part or in their entirety. In 1992 the project published a preliminary report on the first year of excavation in Hesperia (Soles and Davaras 1992). Although the

first season was relatively short and the project encountered several areas that had already been excavated, we nevertheless made several important discoveries in the settlement area. Probably the two most important were that a LM III or Mycenaean occupation followed the Minoan abandonment of the site, despite Seager’s observation that no such resettlement occurred (Seager 1909, 275; Soles 2008b, 1), and that an extensive Early Minoan (EM) II level lay immediately beneath the LM IB remains in many places, something that Seager’s discoveries of Prepalatial deposits already suggested. The Neopalatial town also turned out to be better preserved than Seager thought. It was possible to identify three distinct houses in the area of Seager’s Block C and five in the area of Block D, although each was only partly preserved (Soles and Davaras 1992, fig. 8). A deep and well-stratified deposit of Neopalatial material, extending from LM IB to MM IIIB, now identified as Plateia B, was discovered alongside one of the houses that he excavated in Block C (Soles and Davaras 1992, fig. 11). It was also possible to identify the lower southern part of the road that separated Blocks C and D, now called Avenue 3 (Soles and Davaras 1992, 439, fig. 15, pl. 101:c). The most spectacular discovery, a layer of Santorini tephra nicely stratified between a LM IB floor and an earlier LM IA surface, was made in Block C in a house that Seager had investigated, now called House C.1. The discovery confirmed the survival of Minoan civilization for up to a century after the eruption of the Theran volcano and was immediately reported at the Third International Congress on Santorini in September (Soles and Davaras 1990) and shortly thereafter in the science section of The New York Times (John Noble Wilford, November 28, 1989, C1, C11). The first season of excavation demonstrated that there was clearly much to be learned from further work on the site and that much of the Neopalatial settlement survived later occupation. The initial goal to clarify Seager’s work was expanded to uncover as much, if not all, of the Neopalatial town as possible in order to study its architecture, economy, social and religious organization, and interconnections with other parts of the island and abroad. To accomplish this expanded goal, work continued in four successive campaigns from 1990 to 2012 with breaks between excavation seasons to study and publish material excavated in previous years.

HISTORY AND PLAN OF THE NEOPALATIAL TOWN

5

Plan of the Neopalatial Town The Greek-American excavation has produced a more complete picture of the Neopalatial town plan, including the main area on what is today the island of Mochlos and its later extension onto the coast opposite (Soles 2008b). The focus of this book is the town center on the island, especially the buildings that lay along its principle street, Avenue 2 (Figs. 2, 3). Although built on top of earlier Protopalatial remains, this town was a new town, which was laid out from scratch at the beginning of the MM IIIA period, without regard for earlier buildings on the site. None of the Protopalatial buildings were rebuilt or reoccupied, and there is no evidence to date its streets earlier than the MM IIIA period. Presumably the Protopalatial town was destroyed too badly to be rebuilt, whether as a result of an earthquake, as some have argued (Pelon 2005; Soles, McCoy, and Suka 2017), or due to warfare (Cadogan 2013). Whatever the cause, the event, referred to by Arthur Evans as the “widespread Catastrophe” that also damaged the palaces at Knossos and Phaistos (Evans 1921–1935, I, 299–300), is thought to have affected most of Crete. It is unclear who was responsible for the foundation of the new town, whether it was the town’s previous MM II occupants or newcomers who came from some other part of Crete. On the one hand, there appears to have been no break in occupation, rebuilding began immediately, local pottery traditions continued without interruption, interregional trade patterns (local and abroad) continued as before, and offerings, along with some burials, continued to be made in the ancient tombs to the northwest of the settlement. The preponderance of evidence suggests that the earlier inhabitants of the town were still there. On the other hand, several sites in eastern Crete and in the Malia-Lasithi zone were temporarily abandoned after the MM II destructions or witnessed a drop in population (Cadogan 2013), and it may be significant that none of the MM II houses at Mochlos were rebuilt. One that stood right alongside the western facade of a LM I house in Block A of the new town (House A.2) was simply abandoned, although its walls still stood to a considerable height. If its owner were still on site, surely he or she would have rebuilt as the owners of

houses in the new town were to do after three calamitous earthquakes. Elsewhere the Protopalatial remains at Mochlos survive as isolated deposits beneath the Neopalatial houses, often without any associated walls, and the next builders cleared them away or built on top of them (Brogan and Barnard 2011; Doudalis 2018). Another site like Mochlos that recovered quickly and embarked on an ambitious building program was Malia (Stürmer 1992), and it is always possible that the inhabitants of Mochlos received some help, as they would later after the disastrous earthquake at the time of the Santorini eruption. One of the first structures to be erected in the new town was a ceremonial building with a kitchen dating to the MM IIIA period. In the kitchen was a very large hearth and enough cooking equipment to service a small workforce. Lying in the hearth was a MM IIB prism seal from Malia with two figures carrying a large saw (Soles 2009). Similar seals, all of which were made in the Atelier des Sceaux, which was destroyed at the end of MM IIB, depict figures carrying different tools, and it has been suggested that they belonged to individuals whose occupations are depicted by the tools (Krzyszkowska 2005, 92–95). In this case, it may be that a carpenter from Malia was engaged in the rebuilding. The Minoans were master city planners (Buell 2014, 2015; McEnroe 2010, 113), and whoever was responsible for laying out the new town at Mochlos demonstrated considerable knowledge of town planning. They designed a plan that accommodated the terrain, which rose from sea level at approximately a 20% slope, and that ensured the orderly development of the town in an area that was previously occupied by Prepalatial and Protopalatial settlements. They began by laying out its streets, which determined the shape of the town and played a key role in its development (Fig. 3). They laid out four or five major avenues (only four are exposed) that ran from the coast up the slope to the north. These vary from 1.5 to 2.0 m in width and were paved with cobblestones gathered from the shoreline or left as simple bedrock surfaces in other places. Built or natural bedrock steps were made where needed. In this way the builders created large open spaces or blocks

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between the roads where houses could be constructed. The first houses were freestanding, with open spaces around them, but as time passed many of these spaces were filled in, some because the existing houses expanded into them and others because entirely new houses were built, probably to accommodate the arrival of newcomers to the site. Seager uncovered parts of three of these roads, although he mentions only two, and identified the blocks between, A, B, C, and D, as noted above. Each block faces the south coast and expands up the south slope of the site to the north. Block A at the far west is ca. 43 m wide along the coast where Seager excavated. Only the southern part of the block has been excavated, however, and it extended a considerable distance to the north. The excavated area contained at least three houses, the one mentioned by Seager and two discovered by the Greek-American team. The block is exposed to the heaviest winter seas that hit the western side of the island and lies in complete ruin today. Some LM IB architectural remains from Seager’s excavation can be identified, including a large threshold slab belonging to an exterior doorway and a few ashlar blocks. It is unclear how many houses might have been located in the area, but as the threshold stone visible today lies in the middle of Block A there must have been at least two. The area was not investigated by the GreekAmerican team; however, our excavations did expose the remains of two houses just to the northeast of Seager’s excavation. They have been identified as House A.1 and House A.2, the latter also known as the House of the Lady with the Ivory Pyxis, where an ivory pyxis depicting the epiphany of the Minoan goddess on its lid was discovered in 2010 (Soles and Davaras 2010; Soles 2016). Block B is better preserved than Block A. It is ca. 30 m wide along the coast but extends to the north nearly 50 m, where it widens to over 100 m to the northeast. Only the southern part of the block has been completely excavated. Two buildings were located here. One is the house that Seager excavated on the coast, now identified as B.1, which was reinvestigated by the Greek-American project and is discussed below. The other, identified as Building B.2, lies alongside it to the north and was partly excavated by Seager and partly by the modern project (Soles and Davaras 1996, 184–194). Building B.2 is the great ceremonial center of the Neopalatial town. It was erected at the beginning of the LM

IB period and replaced earlier construction on the site. The area to its north is largely unexplored, although parts of several additional houses have been located here. Block C, where Seager exposed parts of three or four houses, is ca. 50 m wide along the coast and extends some 90 m to the northeast. Fifteen buildings have been exposed in the area, including seven houses, C.1–C.6, and C.9, five buildings of different use, C.7, C.8, and C.10–C.12, and three ceremonial areas including a bench shrine, a temenos with a small court, and its service building, D.7. Houses C.1, C.2, C.6, and Building C.8 were partly excavated by Seager. The other buildings were excavated by the Greek-American team, including House C.3, the House of the Metal Merchant, and most are discussed in this volume. Buildings C.7 and C.11 and House C.9 are located together at the center of the block. C.7, which is built on top of earlier MM II walls, is one of the oldest buildings on the site. It served mainly as a manufacturing and storage center where bronze objects, stone vases, and other goods were produced before the erection of the Artisans’ Quarter in the LM IB period. Production continued on a smaller scale in C.7 after the establishment of the Artisans’ Quarter (Soles and Davaras 1996, 199–202; Brogan 2008, 162–166; Brogan and Koh 2008). People ate in the building and may have lived there as well, but it had a different character from most of the buildings in the block. It continued in use into the LM IB period when C.9 and C.11 were both built. Building C.11 may have replaced part of C.7 that was not reconstructed after the damage it suffered at the end of the LM IA period but was used exclusively as a stone vase manufacturing workshop. House C.9 was located between the two workshops but served as a residential building, perhaps for someone connected to the workshops. The three buildings form a group of structures that were related to one another and will be published in a separate volume. Block D extends almost 80 m along the coast, where Seager exposed five houses, D.1–D.5. He describes the easternmost of these, now identified as House D.3, in some detail and mentions the house that lay to its north, now identified as D.5 (1909, 293–303). The Greek-American project reinvestigated the remaining houses (Soles and Davaras 1992, 439–442) and discovered a house lying adjacent to C.11, identified as House D.6, apparently

HISTORY AND PLAN OF THE NEOPALATIAL TOWN

not excavated by Seager. It was gutted in the LM III period and reoccupied, at which time a road was constructed above the western side of House D.1, leading from the coast to its entrance. It was the most impressive of the LM III houses on the site, the only one of the Minoan houses to be reoccupied, and the only one provided with ritual equipment. It was identified as House A, the House of the Telestas, the chief of the LM III community, and has been fully published along with the rest of the LM III settlement remains (Soles and Brogan 2008, 9–49). The block stretches to the north ca. 70 m, where the Greek-American project excavated its northernmost limits along Avenue 2. We were not able to excavate the entire block, however, and more houses were certainly located in two large unexplored gaps. The modern project has also investigated the streets that ran around and inside these blocks. The major avenues that determined the perimeters of the different blocks have been identified as Avenues 1–4 (Fig. 3). Seager provided some information about Avenue 1, which separated Blocks A and B, but little or none about the others. He described it as “a narrow street running up the hill north and south” flanked by substantial walls on the east and west (1909, 278). It “has a deep Roman wall built across it some twenty metres from the water’s edge, and, as the excavation was not carried any farther up the hill at this point, it is impossible to say whether it continued for any distance. The paving had been entirely removed probably soon after the destruction in L.M. I, as the Romans hardly reached the actual road bed, which was filled with nearly two metres of earth before their houses were built” (1909, 281). An aerial photograph taken in 1981 by J. Wilson Myers and Eleanor E. Myers shows this street and the “Roman” cross wall clearly (Soles 1992a, 191, fig. 25.7). The modern excavation was able to explore the road further and found that much of its pavement is still in place (see below Fig. 55; Pl. 37A) and that the cross wall, which sits on LM IB collapsed building debris 0.50–0.70 m above the level of the street, belongs to a LM III house, House Zeta, not to later Hellenistic construction (Soles and Brogan 2008, 105–108). The LM III house sat in the middle of the road, where it begins to ascend the hill, and prevented its excavation at this point, but the road continues to the north up the hill on the other side of the house, and the current project could trace it for a total distance of ca. 38 m from the coast to the

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point where it was destroyed by a major Hellenistic structure. It was an important road in the town as it led along the west facade of the main ceremonial building, B.2, to a small court at the southeast corner of House A.2, the House of the Lady with the Ivory Pyxis, where other ceremonial activities were enacted (Soles 2016). The road may well have continued farther north into a largely unexplored area of the site and provided access to House B.3, which the Greek-American team excavated, and to other houses that it did not. Seager also exposed part of Avenue 2, but he says nothing about it other than that Block B “occupies the space between the roadway just mentioned [Avenue 1] and a similar one farther to the east” (1909, 281). He excavated it for a distance of ca. 20 m starting at the coast, and the aerial photograph that the Myers took in 1981 shows how far he got (Pls. 1A, 1B). He also exposed a small part of the same road higher up the hill, but refers to it only in passing (1909, 286) and does not mention the condition in which he found it. The current project found that much of the road, approximately the lower half, was choked with ashlar masonry that had fallen from the adjacent buildings as a result of an earthquake that occurred at the end of the LM IB period (Pls. 2A, 3A; see also Pl. 6B, below; Soles, McCoy, and Suka 2017). In most places this ashlar collapse lay directly beneath the slope wash that covered all the remains on the south side of the island, but in other places later LM III or Hellenistic occupation sat on top of it. When in use, the road appears to have been the longest road in the town, and the current excavation was able to follow it to its end, a distance of ca. 105 m. It was probably the most important because it led to major ceremonial areas as well as to several prosperous houses. It was certainly the most heavily traveled, as its cobblestones and bedrock surfaces are worn smooth from the passage of many Minoan feet. It ran from the coast to the north for ca. 45 m, past the entrance to House B.1 and the town’s main ceremonial center, B.2, which lay along its west side, and past House C.2, the entrance to the House of the Metal Merchant, C.3, and House C.6, which lay on its east side (Pls. 1B, 2). It then took a sharp turn at a 90° angle to the east and ran ca. 20 m past the north facades of House C.6 and Building C.8, the northwest corner of which was built with ashlar quoins that collapsed all in a line onto the street (Pls. 3, 4A; see also Pl. 40A). At

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the northeast corner of C.8 it turned to the northeast (Pls. 4B, 4C; see also Pl. 45A). From this point on the street contained no further ashlar collapse, but it ran for ca. 15 m past the entrances to House B.4 and Building C.10 (see Pl. 49A) before turning again to the northeast at a 10° angle. It then continued another 25 m passing a roadside terrace where people might sit and rest on a bench, a bench shrine, and finally another building, Building C.12 (Pls. 4D, 5A; see also Pls. 53A, 55A). Here, at the northeast corner of this building, it met another street, probably the northern end of Avenue 3, which ran up the hill in a north–south direction between Blocks C and D (Pls. 5B and below, 55A). At this intersection four steps continued the line of Avenue 2 to the northeast and led up to an open court at the rear of which stood an open temenos, the apparent destination of the road (Pls. 5C, and below, 58A). The present volume is designed to follow this road, presenting descriptions of the houses that were located along its way and the temenos that was the climax of the journey. In 1989 we found the southern end of a third road, Avenue 3, which Seager did not report, but which he must have hypothesized as it separated Block C from Block D. It also ran north from the coast, and we succeeded in excavating three separate parts of it. The southernmost section, which, like Avenue 2, was choked with ashlar, runs ca. 10 m alongside House D.4, which is provided with a staircase leading up from the street to its entrance, like many buildings at Gournia (Soles and Davaras 1992, 439, fig. 15, pl. 101c; 1994, 411, pl. 97c). A Mycenaean house, House Theta, was built on top of the collapsed ashlar in the LM III period (Soles and Brogan 2008, 120–125). Another section was exposed just to the north, where it split into two parts, one leading to the northwest, the other to the northeast, on either side of the stone vase workshop, Building C.11. The uppermost section, ca. 8 m of which was uncovered, ran between Building C.12 and Building D.7 and joined Avenue 2 (Pls. 5B, and below, 55A). The fourth road, Avenue 4, was uncovered by Seager along the eastern side of Block D. Although he published a partial plan of the house (1909, 293, fig. 14), he did not include the street in the plan and made no mention of it. Only partly excavated, it is exposed for a distance of ca. 3 m. All these avenues appear to have opened off another street that ran east–west along the modern coast line. The coast

has been badly eroded by wave action, and little of this street survives. It is largely hypothetical, but some cobbles and stone slabs that may belong to it survive along the south facades of Houses B.1 and C.2, and the bedrock along the coast in front of Avenue 4 has been cut down to form a flat surface as if to create a level street. Most of the buildings whose facades face these streets show some evidence of having been constructed in the MM III period, and as the streets were kept clear throughout their use only the houses that flank them can date them. The best evidence for their construction comes from a building excavated halfway up the hill, C.10, which faces the east side of Avenue 2. The two rooms at its southwest corner both had closed deposits of MM IIIA pottery, and the MM IIIA floors ran right against the western facade of the house that ran along the eastern side of the street. The floors date the facade, and the facade dates the street. Laid out at the beginning of the MM III period, ca. 1700 b.c., the streets remained in use to the end of the LM IB period, ca. 1430 b.c., approximately 270 years, and show several signs of repair— with new cobblestones having been placed on top of old cobblestones—but no major alterations. It is clear that at least one, Avenue 2, and perhaps three, including Avenues 1 and 3, also served as processional ways. Whatever purely utilitarian function they served, they also led to important ritual spaces. Avenue 1 led to an open court that House A.2, the House of the Lady with the Ivory Pyxis, overlooked. The house was provided with a window of appearances that opened onto the court, in front of which offerings of emmer wheat were made. Avenue 2, joined by Avenue 3, terminated in another court, which was flanked on its south by Building D.7 and at its far eastern end by the temenos. In addition to these major north–south avenues and the hypothetical coastal avenue, the builders of the new town also created a series of secondary roads, most of them running in an east–west direction, as well as narrow corridors and open spaces. Only some of these belonged to the original master plan of the town. Others resulted from the dispositions of the various houses that were built in the different blocks. Unlike the avenues, the buildings changed in size and shape during the life of the Neopalatial town as a result of rebuilding after three earthquakes and the expansion of the town near the end of the LM IB period.

HISTORY AND PLAN OF THE NEOPALATIAL TOWN

Among the original secondary roads were three long east–west roads that ran through Blocks B and C (Fig. 3). The southernmost of these, Street A, ran between House B.1 and the building or buildings that lay to its north before the construction of Building B.2. It connected Avenue 1 to Avenue 2, a distance of ca. 25 m, crossed Avenue 2, where it jogged slightly to the north, and continued another 10 m to the east between Houses C.2 and C.3, where it led into an open space behind the east side of C.3. It went out of use at the end of the LM IA period, however, when the town’s main ceremonial center was built and House C.3 was expanded. Its western section behind House B.1 was redesigned to accommodate a paved terrace that ran along the south side of B.2. Steps led up to the terrace from Avenue 2 and to a “theatral area” at the west end of the terrace (Soles 2009, fig. 2; 2010, figs. 32.1, 32.2). The western end of the original road was closed with a solid wall that abuts the south wall of B.2 and the northwest corner of House B.1 but does not bond to either (see Fig. 56, below), thus blocking access to Avenue 1 and creating a cul-de-sac where the theatral area is located. Its eastern section was completely closed when several rooms of House C.3 were built in the area. Ashlar collapse filled the space after the LM IB destruction and LM III Houses Delta and Eta were built on top of the collapse (Soles and Brogan 2008, pls. 9A–10B). A second east–west road, Street B, originally ran along the north side of House C.3 and Building C.7 (see Fig. 57; Pl. 40B, below; Soles and Brogan 2008, pl. 5A). It was probably designed to connect Avenue 2 to Avenue 3, but it could only be traced for a distance of ca. 25 m because of later construction in the area. It passed an open court between Buildings C.7 and C.8 and then probably continued along the north side of House C.9, at the northeast corner of which it met the northwest branch of Avenue 3. The road was paved with cobblestones and was one of three roads, all of them running east–west, that were provided with gutters that ran alongside house walls and directed rain water toward the major avenues. In the LM III period the Mycenaean settlers erected two houses in the road, House Iota, which was built between Houses C.3 and C.6, and House Nu, which was constructed along the north side of Building C.7 (Soles and Brogan 2008, pl. 5B). The third east–west road that belonged to the original town plan, Street C, continued the line of Avenue 2 to the east along the south side of Building C.10 and

9

may also have been designed to reach Avenue 3. It was also paved and provided with a gutter (see below Fig. 73; Pl. 49A). It runs ca. 5 m to the east of Avenue 2 but was destroyed from that point on along with the southeast corner of C.10 in the Hellenistic occupation of the site. Among the open spaces that were part of the original plan are three plateias. Plateia E opened along the west side of Avenue 1, between House A.2 and the rear entrance to Building B.2. Plateia F was the open court at the end of Avenue 2 in front of the temenos. Both were paved and served as gathering places for ritual activities. Another, Plateia D, was located between Buildings C.7 and C.8; it could be reached from Street B and a north–south passage running along the east sides of Houses C.2 and C.3. It was a large rectangular space flanked by a storage facility on the north and a manufacturing building on the south and may have served a commercial purpose. Other interior roads and plateias were created more or less by accident as the community expanded and new building encroached on previously open spaces. In Block C there was initially a large open space along its south side where one approached the settlement from the isthmus that led across from Crete. House C.2 lay along the west side of this space, and House C.4 was located along its north side. From time immemorial this space was left open to provide access to the settlement; it was there in the Prepalatial period, in the Mycenaean era, and still in the Byzantine period, all for the same reason, because it marked the spot where one passed from the isthmus into the main settlement area of the site. In the Prepalatial period a major road led up into the settlement from here (Soles and Davaras 1994, 394, fig. 3, pl. 89), and it is somewhat surprising that the later town planners did not locate one of the major north–south avenues at this point. The point lay equidistant between the two streets on either side of Block C, however, and originally one could walk to one or the other of these streets via the street that ran along the modern shore line. In the LM IB period, however, when new settlers appear to have arrived, two houses, C.1 and C. 5, were built here, one to the west and the other to the east. As a result of their building, a small open court, Plateia A, was created between the two houses and paved with cobblestones (see below, Fig. 22; Pls. 23A, 23B). At the same time two

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narrow corridors were created, one leading off to the northwest, the west corridor, and the other to the northeast, the east corridor. Only a small part of the east corridor could be explored because it runs into a modern cemetery that lies around the church of Hagios Nikolaos, so it is unclear if it diverged to the east or ran to the north, but it was paved and also provided with a gutter (see below, Figs. 22, 32; Pls. 28A, 28B). The west corridor ran behind House C.1 to a small unpaved court, Plateia B, that was created between Houses C.1 and C.2 when an addition was added to the northeast corner of House C.2 (see below, Figs. 22, 38; Pls. 31A, 32A–32C). The large open space that was here when C.2 was originally built became tightly constricted in the LM IB period because of this new addition. The plateia was a rectangular space that could be accessed from its southwest corner as well as its southeast corner. Another passage, essentially a continuation of the west corridor, opened off the plateia’s northeast corner, where the new addition to C.2 and another addition at the southeast corner of C.3 created a narrow passage only 0.50–0.60 m wide that ran along the west side of House C.4 (see Pls. 31C, 31D, below). This passage was also paved and provided with steps as it ascended the slope. It ran ca. 30 m to the north to another unpaved court, Plateia C (Fig. 4). This court was originally part of a

larger open space behind House C.3 that permitted access at its northwest corner to the road that ran along the north side of C.3 and C.7, Street B, and to Plateia D. It was constricted by additions that were made to the west end of Building C.7 in the LM IB period, when the passage from the west corridor to the north was blocked. Plateia C was completely enclosed as a result, but it continued to provide access to rooms along the southwest side of Building C.7. Both corridors and the plateias are discussed in more detail in Chapter 2. In Block D, which was excavated by Seager, the original houses were also freestanding, and a large open space was located in their midst. It ran between Houses D.1 and D.3, where it created a yard ca. 4 x 20 m in size. It also separated House D.1 from D.6 with a space ca. 6 m wide. At the beginning of the LM IB period the open space between D.1 and D.3 was closed by another house, D.2, which filled this space and wrapped around the north side of House D.1. It used the preexisting facades of the earlier houses on its west, north, and east sides for its outer walls, but the newly erected interior walls were not bonded into the walls of the earlier houses. As a result, most of the houses in Block D shared party walls and formed a solid block. Those along the west side of the block, D.4 and D.6, were entered from Avenue 3, while those on the south of the block, D.1, D.2, and D.3, were entered from the coastal road.

1

House C.3: The House of the Metal Merchant Jeffrey S. Soles With contributions by Tristan Carter, Georgios Doudalis, Douglas Faulmann, Jonathan M. Flood, Luke Kaiser, Evi Margaritis, Jerolyn Morrison, Dimitra Mylona, Maria Ntinou, and Katerina Papayianni

The House of the Metal Merchant, after which this volume is named, is the best preserved of the houses that the Greek-American project excavated. It is located in Area E3 of the excavation’s grid in 10 different trenches in a part of the site where there was dense LM III reoccupation (Figs. 3–5).1 It was excavated in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 2004, and every room except one, Room 2.1, was excavated to bedrock. Late Minoan III Houses B, M, Δ, and H sat on top of it, and the LM III occupation removed most of its upper story remains (Soles and Brogan

2008, 64–90, fig. 3), but it is still the best preserved of the Neopalatial houses, as neither the Hellenistic occupation nor the 1908 excavations touched it. It lies fairly low on the south slope, between the 5 and 10 m contour lines of the site, which rises to 40 m above sea level, with the result that the house was buried in a considerable amount of slope wash, and many of its walls stand over 2 m high. It is also one of the richest houses that the project uncovered in terms of its finds, which included two large bronze hoards that suggest the occupation of its resident.

A History of the House and Its Architectural Phases House C.3 is a spacious three-story building that underwent several phases of construction (Fig. 5). It was built at the start of the MM III period (Phase 1), at the end of which it was damaged in an earthquake, repaired, and then used through the LM IA period with

no interruption (Phase 2). It suffered major damage at the end of the period at the time of the Theran eruption, however, and was rebuilt at the beginning of the LM IB period (Phase 3). It was enlarged toward the end of the period, when several additions were made

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on the south and southeast sides of the house (Phase 4). The house survives in its final Phase 4 form (Figs. 4, 6; Pls. 6A, 6B), but the form of the house in Phase 3 is clear (Figs. 7, 8), and the original form of the house in earlier phases was very like that of the Phase 3 house. The house stood for ca. 270 years, during which time its owners made major repairs or alterations three times: the first in ca. 1600 b.c., 100 years after it was built, the second 70 years later in ca. 1530 b.c., and the third 60 years after that in ca. 1470 b.c. Most of the pottery in the house dates to the LM IB period and to the time of its final use, but three stratified, closed LM IA deposits that belong to the second phase of the house’s use (Deposits 3–5) and two MM III deposits that belong to its first phase (Deposits 1, 2) were also uncovered. There are also plenty of MM III pottery fragments, particularly in the LM IA deposits, to suggest the time of the house’s construction. An earlier MM II house once stood in this location, and some of its walls survive beneath the house (Soles and Davaras 1996, 180– 184, figs. 4, 5; Brogan and Koh 2011), so Protopalatial sherds that have no relation to the house also appear in the deposits occasionally. Four of the five early deposits are located beneath the floors of rooms on the ground floor level of the house, Rooms 2.2 and 2.3 (Fig. 4). Walls in each of these rooms collapsed at the time of the Theran eruption, and the rooms were filled with LM IA debris that was sealed beneath later LM IB floors (Deposits 3, 4; Pls. 7A, 7B). Middle Minoan III deposits were uncovered beneath the LM IA collapse in both rooms. A foundation trench that was cut into bedrock at the base of the southern wall in Room 2.2 was filled with MM III pottery (Deposit 1), and it illustrates that this wall and the auxiliary staircase that it supported in the center of the house were also standing in the MM III period (Fig. 9; Pl. 7C). The MM III and LM IA deposits in Room 2.3 (Deposits 2, 4), which were also stratified beneath LM IB floors, lay against part of the house’s east facade, demonstrating that this wall was also standing at the time of the house’s construction (Fig. 10; Pl. 8). They also lay against the north side of a major east–west wall that ran through the whole width of the house, from its west facade to its east facade. It divided the house into two main sections, separating basement story rooms to its south (Rooms 1.1, 1.2, 1.3) from upper story rooms to its north (Rooms 2.1, 2.2, 2.3), and it rose three stories in height, supporting part of

the roof at the upper floor level. The deposits demonstrate that this wall and the west and east facades that it connects were standing at the beginning of the MM III period, whatever repairs or alterations they may have undergone at the end of the period. Two north–south walls on either side of the auxiliary staircase on the basement level of the house abut this wall and are also likely to have been standing from the time of the house’s construction. Early walls on the north side of Room 2.1 and beneath the house’s west facade on the room’s west (Fig. 4), which also collapsed at the time of the LM IA destruction, were exposed, and if this room were to be excavated in the future similar LM IA and MM III deposits would be uncovered beneath its LM IB floor. Finally, a third LM IA deposit (Deposit 5) was uncovered beneath a LM IB addition at the southeast corner of the house (Room 1.4). It backs up against the original east facade of the house and offers further evidence that the east facade was standing at this time. All the deposits in the house, including the final LM IB deposits, were preserved because of earthquake destruction at the end of the MM III period, at the time of the Theran eruption at the end of the LM IA period, and one final time after the site’s overthrow and abandonment but before the Mycenaean reoccupation (Soles, McCoy, and Suka 2017). The evidence consists of the actual damage to the house’s walls, the deposits themselves, and corresponding changes in the local sea level. Room 2.3 provides the best evidence for earthquake damage at the end of MM III as its eastern wall was rebuilt at this time. Rooms 2.2 and 2.3 provide the best evidence for an earthquake associated with the Theran eruption because both floors in these rooms collapsed into basement rooms with their adjacent walls at the time of the eruption. They were filled with rubble and Theran tephra that was never removed during the LM IB rebuilding. The earlier LM IA walls are still preserved in each of these rooms, as well as Room 2.1, and MM III walls are identifiable in Room 2.3, all located beneath later LM IB walls. Each of the earthquakes that caused these destructions also caused a drop in the coastline evident in underwater wave cuts that mark the ancient shore line. The destructions can be dated by pottery embedded in the underwater beach rock and by a small underwater structure, built with ashlar masonry, that was located on the isthmus connecting Mochlos to Crete (Soles, McCoy,

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT

and Suka 2017, figs. 2, 15). Other buildings in the settlement, particularly Building B.2, suffered similar destructions at the same times and for the same reason (Soles et al. 2017).

Phases 1 and 2 In Phases 1 and 2 the house was a freestanding structure surrounded by open spaces on all sides. Avenue 2 ran along its main, western facade and provided access to the house’s principal entrance. The east–west Street B, which probably connected Avenue 2 to Avenue 3, ran along its northern side, separating it from House C.6, which lay to the north. An open space was located along its east side, separating it from the manufacturing Building C.7, and a wide passage, Street A, also ran along its south side, separating it from House C.2 and leading from Avenue 2 to the open space to the east. A secondary doorway was located here and provided access to the house’s basement. At this time it was possible to walk completely around the house. The house was terraced at two levels against the hillside with a ground floor and upper story that extended over a basement story along its south side. The remains of two staircases leading to upper story rooms are preserved. The main staircase opposite the house’s main entrance is preserved in its LM IB form (Phases 3 and 4), but its original north wall is also preserved and suggests that a staircase was always located here. Two rectangular cages, lying alongside each other in the center of the house, supported an auxiliary staircase with the southern cage supporting a flight of steps down to the basement and the northern a flight to the upper story. Dating to the MM III period, they indicate that the house was a three-story structure from the beginning. The original house does not appear to have differed greatly in plan from the house in Phase 2. It was designed from the beginning as a roughly rectangular building with straight walls forming its three main facades on the west, north, and south, and a rear facade on the east with an indentation at its northeast corner and a setback midway along the wall to the south where the main east–west wall joins it on the interior of the house. The main entrance was located at the house’s northwest corner, where a large limestone slab was laid in place for the threshold. The doorway probably opened onto a vestibule and staircase as it did in later phases. Five or

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six rooms were located on the ground floor level to the south, including two that ran alongside the stairway (Rooms 2.1 and 2.2), a third to their east (Room 2.3), and at least two adjacent rooms that were located over the basement rooms to the south (Rooms 2.4 and 2.5). In the house’s original plan, two basement rooms were located beneath Rooms 2.2 and 2.3 and were connected to each other by a doorway that went out of use after the LM IA collapse when the basement rooms were filled in (Fig. 11). Three other basement rooms were located to the south, where there was a natural drop in the ground level (Rooms 1.1–1.3), and were reached by the auxiliary staircase and a doorway at the southeast corner of the house. Five or six additional rooms would have been located on the upper floor. It was a large house from the beginning. Its western facade measured ca. 11.7 m in length, its southern ca. 10.8 m, and its northern ca. 9.0 meters long.2 It would have had a surface area of ca. 125 m2 on its ground floor, about the same on the floor above, and ca. 70 m2 in its five basement rooms, a total surface area of ca. 320 m2.

Phase 3 At the time of the Santorini eruption interior walls on the ground floor, parts of the eastern and western facades, and possibly others collapsed, and with them the roof of the house also collapsed. The surrounding streets were filled with debris. The house needed major repairs, and the streets needed to be cleared. The house was not alone in this respect; practically every structure on the site needed rebuilding. The building that lay to the east of C.3, Building C.7, was no exception, and its occupants took advantage of the opportunity to make an addition to the northwest corner of the building, which blocked the area along the northeast corner of House C.3. The spaces on the remaining sides of House C.3 remained open, but it was no longer possible to walk completely around the house. The owners of House C.3 also took advantage of the situation to introduce some important changes to the house, including several architectural refinements, without altering the essential plan of the house. Many of these refinements made use of ashlar masonry, a new building material that only became available after the opening of the Mochlos quarry, which lay a short distance away on the opposite side of the isthmus (Soles 1983). Ashlar was

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now used to construct quoins in the northwest corner of the house’s west facade and at the southwest corner above the basement level, two points where they would be most visible to passersby (Figs. 6–8). It is quite likely that ashlar also was used to construct one or more courses of coping blocks at different floor levels. Other refinements included a newly designed entrance with a wider doorway flanked by ashlar masonry (Pls. 9A, 9B) and a new stairwell with several flights of stairs encased in a rectangular cage and provided with an ashlar block at its base to support its wooden frame (Pl. 10A). When the stairwell was rebuilt, Rooms 2.1 and 2.2 were slightly enlarged toward the north. When the walls of Room 2.3 were rebuilt, the room was slightly enlarged toward the west. The house lost the use of the two basement rooms beneath Rooms 2.2 and 2.3, which were now filled with debris from the collapse of the house, but it may have gained additional space as a result of the new staircase, which probably led to the roof where there would have been an enclosed area along the north side of the house (Figs. 6, 7). In effect, there were now four stories in the rebuilt house. There were three rooms on the basement level, Rooms 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3, probably the same number as before on the ground floor and the upper floor, and at least one in the enclosure on the roof. On a horizontal plane the house changed little, but on a vertical plane it may have risen higher than the Phase 1 house. The facades were all repaired and strengthened with ashlar, while the total living space remained approximately the same, with the enclosure on the roof compensating for the lost storage rooms beneath Rooms 2.2 and 2.3.

Phase 4 In Phase 4 the house was expanded, presumably to accommodate a growing household, and the open

spaces on its south and southeast were filled with a number of additions. The west end of the road that ran along the south side of the house, Street A, was blocked with a wall that ran between the southwest corner of the house and the northwest corner of House C.2 (Figs. 4, 6; Pl. 6A). Two rooms were built in the western half of the old roadway, Rooms 1.6 and 1.7. They were set against the north wall of House C.2 and were provided with their own doorway at the east. At nearly the same time, a large rectangular room (Room 1.4), later divided into two parts, was added at the southeast corner of the house in the area where there was once an open yard. The builders used the existing east facade of the house, extending it a short distance to the south, and attached it to the north wall of House C.2. They only needed to construct new walls on the north and east. As a result, the addition blocked access to the road that ran along the south side of House C.3 and created another room (Room 1.5) in front of the doorway that opened into the basement of the house. The east–west road that ran along the south side of the original house ceased to exist, and the area along the east side of the house was constricted into a narrow passage, the west corridor. The overall appearance of the house did not change greatly with these alterations as its west and north facades remained unaffected. The main change was that the house was no longer entirely freestanding. It shared party walls now with House C.2 on its south, but the new rooms were only a single story high and, located along the basement level of the house, would not have blocked any windows that the house may have had on its ground floor. Only the southeast addition, Room 1.4, altered its profile, but it was located at the house’s rear. Because of these additions, the house acquired ca. 50 m2 of surface area, with a new total of 370 m2.

Excavation, Stratigraphy, Architecture, and Finds The House of the Metal Merchant was excavated in four seasons from 1990 to 1994 (Soles and Davaras 1994, 400–404; 1996, 194–198), and has been discussed in several preliminary reports since (Soles 2008a, 2010, 2011a). A description of the house as it appeared at the time of its destruction in Phase 4

follows, but the evidence for earlier phases of construction is also discussed. The description is ordered as one would have moved through it upon entering from Avenue 2 (Fig. 12) and includes details of each room’s stratigraphy, architecture, and finds, along with a list of materials found in each deposit.

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT

15

Entrance, Vestibule, and Main Staircase Stratigraphy

Architecture and Finds

The vestibule or entry room of the house was located in Trenches 6800 and 7800. It lay beneath a LM III deposit associated with the exterior yard of a LM III house, House Beta, which lay just below the surface (Soles and Brogan 2008, 71, fig. 3). The north wall of the room and indeed the entire north wall of the house were exposed during the LM III occupation and were reused as the south wall of another LM III house, House Iota (Soles and Brogan 2008, 50–52, figs. 3, 21). Upper story collapse from the Minoan house appeared beneath in a brown (7.5YR 5/3) soil at an elevation of +7.89–7.32 (Locus 68/7802.1–4). It contained charcoal, pumice, purple and green schist, and small pieces of plaster, all of which probably belonged to building materials used in the walls and floor above. The floor deposit of the vestibule lay below at an elevation of +7.31– 7.00 (Locus 68/7817.1). The staircase lay in Trenches 6800 and 6900. Both its stairwells also lay under an exterior LM III surface, and most of the south wall of the staircase return lay beneath the north wall of House Beta. Upper story collapse, much of which probably belonged to the staircase itself, was still preserved under the LM III surface. It lay in a deposit of strong brown soil (7.5YR 4/6) that contained a large amount of carbon and some pumice. The collapsed material was excavated in the western part of the stairwell at an elevation of +7.70–7.08 (Locus 6817), and in the eastern part at +7.48–7.24, where it also extended into Room 2.2 (Locus 6908). Two lines of very pale brown soil (10YR 7/4) resembling a white plaster were uncovered in the midst of this collapse at an elevation of +7.65; they ran parallel to the north facade of the house and belonged to the remains of mudbrick walls that formed part of the staircase. Material from the upper floor landing was recovered at the east end of the south stairwell lying in a light brown soil (7.5YR 6/4) with many clumps of clay flooring material at an elevation of +7.24– 7.09 (Locus 6911.1). The floor level in the lower of the two stairwells lay at +7.14–7.04 (Locus 6912) and in a closet that ran beneath the upper stairwell at +7.04–7.01 (Locus 6924).

The main entrance at the northwest corner of the house, the vestibule just inside, and the staircase that was located directly opposite (Pls. 9, 10A) were constructed as a single rectangular unit at the north side of the house, and they can be dated to the Phase 3 rebuilding. The unit’s west wall beneath the threshold, its south wall, and the south end of its east wall rest on top of earlier LM IA walls, and LM IB pottery (IVB.1268, IVB.1354) lay in the soil fill beneath the northern part of the staircase. The main entrance to the house was always located here, and the earlier design of the vestibule and staircase may have been like its LM IB design, but the evidence is not preserved. Ashlar blocks would not have been used in its construction, however, because the ashlar that can be dated securely elsewhere on the site (in House C.1 and Building B.2) all dates to the LM IB period. In Phases 3 and 4 the unit projected to the north of the house, was set back from the east facade, and measured ca. 3.5 x 9.0 m. The exterior walls on the north, west, and east were designed to be major load-bearing walls supporting solid walls in the upper stories. The western wall was constructed of ashlar on either side of the doorway, the northern with large uncut boulders in its outer face, and the eastern of rubble with small to medium-sized stones.3 All three were probably constructed in stone for their full height. The wall on the south, in contrast, was an interior wall constructed in mudbrick resting on a low stone socle and was intended to support less weight.4 The unit formed a tower-like projection rising along the north side of the house, providing access to the upper floor and leading to the roof (Figs. 6–8). It has many parallels in Minoan domestic architecture, particularly on Thera, where it also often forms a separate unit at one side of the house, set back or forward from the rest of the house (cf. Houses Delta-South, Delta-North, Delta-East in Palyvou 2005, 71–74, 80–82, 92–94). In Phases 3 and 4 the entrance to the house was flanked with ashlar blocks, those on its north side terminating the west end of the north facade of the house, and those on the south terminating the north end of its west facade (Fig. 6; Pl. 9). The lowest two

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JEFFREY S. SOLES

courses of ashlar survive in situ on the north, while only the lowest course remains on the south, but several blocks found fallen in the street at this corner of the house probably belonged to the upper courses of ashlar (e.g., AS 6, AS 7; see Fig. 96, below), and they could be restored on either side of the doorway. One that fell in front of the doorway (Pl. 9A) has been set as a second course at the southern side of the doorway (Pl. 9B), although it may have been located elsewhere in the wall. Only the blocks in the lower course on the north are intact; they sit side-by-side and were designed to fill the width of the wall. The northern block, which runs lengthwise in the north wall, is the larger and faces Avenue 2 and Street B, so it was dressed on four sides: top, bottom, the face toward Avenue 2, and the face toward Street B (Pl. 9B).5 A smaller block was inserted to its south to fill the width of the wall; it faced Avenue 2 and the doorway, and it also was dressed on four sides: top, bottom, the side facing Avenue 2, and the side facing the doorway. Both sit on a large limestone block, which sits in turn on a narrow course of rubble that formed a leveling course. A third block in the course above was badly damaged in antiquity, and it is no longer intact. The block to the south of the doorway, which is set lengthwise in the wall, fills the width of the wall (AS 2; see Fig. 95, below; Pl. 9). The block was dressed on five sides: the top, the bottom, the interior and exterior faces, and the side facing the doorway, where it was cut back to form a recessed face along most of its width, leaving only a small rectangular projection at its northwest corner.6 It also rests on a rubble foundation that provided a flat horizontal surface for the ashlar masonry. If the entrance resembled typical Minoan entrances elsewhere, the two ashlar courses on its south probably supported a narrow window that would have been located immediately alongside the doorway (Figs. 6, 7). Another block that fell into the street in front of the doorway, nearly intact, is narrower than the quoins; it is cut at one end where another block might have rested alongside it, and the two may have sat as coping blocks above the doorway (AS 3; Fig. 95; Pl. 9).7 A large slab of bluish-gray limestone (sideropetra) with a white calcite vein running down its center formed the threshold for the doorway (AS 1; Fig. 95; Pl. 9B).8 The top surface lay 0.16–0.41 m above the street, keeping rain water out of the house and requiring one to step up to enter the house. The stone is worn and battered. At either end its surface was hammered flat to create an L-shaped area,

presumably to receive the base of a wooden jamb for a door that would have been ca. 0.90 m wide. These hammered surfaces are the main evidence that the threshold belonged to the original building and that there was an earlier door here belonging to Phases 1 and 2 that was replaced in Phase 3. The later doorway was shaped by the ashlar masonry that was added to it only in the LM IB period, and its jambs did not rest on the threshold stone. They rested on flat sandstone slabs that were inserted on either side of the threshold slab (Fig. 4; Pl. 9B). On the north side of the doorway, an ashlar block was set in the ground flush with the threshold to support the transverse beam at the base of the new jamb. On the southern side a smaller piece of ashlar was inserted between the threshold and the ashlar blocks to support the transverse beam. A pair of vertical posts sat at each end of these transverse beams. The outer post of the south jamb was set against the inner side of the projection at the northwest corner of the ashlar block, which protected it from those entering and exiting the house (Fig. 7), while the jamb’s other post was set opposite it on the inner side of the doorway. Both jambs were set alongside the two ends of the threshold stone, no longer on it, so the new doorway permitted a wider door than the old, ca. 1.15 m wide. No traces of the door survive on the hard threshold stone, and no pivot survives, but there was certainly a wooden door. It would have been set on a wooden beam that sat on the remains of the original LM IA wall running along the interior face of the threshold. The pivot hole would have been cut in this beam, and the bottom of the wooden door would have closed against the inner face of the threshold slab, which was now hammered back along its upper edge to receive it, while the sides of the door would have closed against the inner posts of the jambs. The door closed tightly. It was protected from the elements and opened inward, probably to the north against the northern wall of the house. Such a doorway, which has good parallels in Theran architecture (Palyvou 2005, 137–138, fig. 199), was to provide a model for many of the new doorways constructed on the site after the Theran destructions. The doorway opens onto a small, nearly square vestibule that measured ca. 2.05 x 2.30 m (Pl. 9A). The vestibule had a dirt floor covered with white plaster, traces of which remained along the south side of the room. It was probably lit by the narrow window in its west wall, while its north wall, which still stands to a height of ca. 1.76 m, was solid. To

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT

the right as one entered it led through a doorway, ca. 0.85 m wide, into Room 2.1, from which one could probably enter other rooms on the ground floor although no other doorways are preserved in its walls. Very little was found in the vestibule, and it was kept clear to facilitate movement in and out of the house. Fragmentary remains of a trefoil-mouthed jug, a conical cup, and an intact loomweight (IVA.729) lay on its floor, and they all may have fallen there from the floor above. Straight ahead opposite the entrance, the vestibule opened onto a staircase that led to the upper floor and a closet that lay beneath the southern part of the staircase on the ground floor (Fig. 7; Pl. 10A). The staircase was Π-shaped, with two parallel flights joined by a landing at the point where the staircase turned. It was a common type of staircase throughout Minoan Crete, capable of rising two or three stories as it did here (Shaw 2015, 38–41). It was constructed from three parallel walls and a rear wall that formed two cages for the steps, ca. 5.50–5.70 m long and 0.75–1.00 m wide. Its north wall was the north facade of the house, which provided a solid stone support on this side the entire height of the staircase. Its rear wall was also an exterior facade constructed entirely of stone, which would have provided solid support for the landings that were located at the east end of the staircase. The middle and south walls of the stairwell, in contrast, were constructed largely of mudbrick on low stone socles. The middle wall, the central spine wall of the staircase, was the more substantial of the two. It terminates on the west in a squared ashlar block with two square mortise holes cut in its upper surface to support the wooden skeleton that framed the staircase (AS 5; Fig. 96; Pl. 10A).9 The lower part of the wall behind it was constructed in rubble to the same height as the ashlar block, ca. 0.47 m, while the remainder of the wall above was constructed in mudbrick, and one course of six bricks is still preserved near the center of the wall.10 They were sun-dried bricks, fabricated from clay and a large amount of white gypsum, each measuring ca. 0.30 x 0.42 x 0.085 m (Nodarou, Frederick, and Hein 2008, 3006–3012) and, unlike many mudbricks reported on the site by Seager, they were not fired in the destruction of the house. The southern wall of the stairwell was built almost entirely in mudbrick, which rested on two courses of rubble at the base, ca. 0.22 m high.11 One course of five bricks,

17

resembling those in the central spine wall in material and size, is preserved along the western end of the wall. The wall probably was strengthened with vertical beams, and a large schist slab near the middle of the wall (at the east end of the preserved bricks) may have supported such a beam. A stone threshold provided access to the southern cage, which lay beneath the staircase return and served as a closet, ca. 0.90–1.00 m wide and 5.40 m long. It was probably closed with a door, and the spine wall along its north side left a small opening, ca. 0.30 m wide, at its east end for still another closet, a sottoscala, that was located under the north stairwell. Stone steps led up in the northern cage toward the east. The bottom six are still preserved. They were constructed of small stones set directly on soil that filled the north stairwell, and they show no evidence for timber supports underneath. Traces of white plaster were preserved on the lowest step, and all were likely to have been covered with plaster. Each is ca. 0.30–0.40 m deep and 0.10 m high, creating a flight of approximately 12 steps ca. 1.20 m high that allowed for a landing just over 2.00 m wide at the east end of the stairwell (Figs. 7, 12A). The landing, located partway between the ground floor and the upper floor above the open space at the east end of the south cage and the sottoscala at the east end of the north cage, must have had a wooden floor. It would have been supported by a wooden beam that ran along its west side (Figs. 7, 12A), by the outer walls of the building on its north and east, and by the south wall of the south cage on its south. The landing provided access to another flight of steps at its southwest running parallel to the first flight. It led up to a second landing that stood at the level of the first floor, ca. 1.90 m above the ground floor vestibule that lay directly beneath it (Fig. 12B). This landing provided access to rooms on the first floor, but it also provided access to another staircase. Superimposed upon the lower staircase, this one led to another landing located midway between the upper story and the roof (Fig. 12C), which led in turn to another staircase leading to the roof. Although at home in Crete, this type of staircase has its best preserved examples in Thera where Clairy Palyvou has shown that wood was used extensively in its construction (1999, 243–288; 2005, 133–135, figs. 191–193). The ashlar block that terminated the spine wall on the ground floor supported vertical beams that rose at this end of the wall to support the landings above

18

JEFFREY S. SOLES

(Fig. 7). Additional vertical beams may have been set near the east end of the central spine wall to do the same, although no trace of them survived, and horizontal beams supported the landings. As Palyvou writes, “The loads of the superimposed flights of steps, as well as those of the middle landings, are transferred to the ground through a robust timber frame encased in the walls” (Palyvou 2005, 133). Conical cups lay in the collapse debris of the staircase, as they did in nearly every other part of the house, and a drain or water spout (IVA.373) was also found here. It probably fell from the structure that stood over the opening of the staircase on the roof and drained rainwater from the roof into the street or onto the roof above the upper story rooms. Various finds were also uncovered in the closet that was located on the ground floor under the south stairwell. They included fragments of a conical cup lamp (IVB.1) and other cups and jars that may have been stored here. The small innermost sottoscala beneath the east end of the northern stairwell was empty.

Upper Floor Collapse in Vestibule and at West End of Stairwell from Landing above Vestibule (E3 68/7802.1–4) POTTERY

No vessels were cataloged, but 720 sherds, weighing 11 kg, were counted in this deposit. The pottery is predominantly LM IB and includes fragments of conical, ogival, and rounded cups, large decorated conical cups, amphorae, pithoi, jars, tripod cooking pots, and cooking trays. A small amount of Protopalatial pottery was also counted.

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 1; NONID 12)

1 metacarpal of ovicaprid; 12 nonidentifiable bone fragments of medium-sized mammal

WOOD

1 Olea europaea, 1 Prunus sp., 1 nonidentifiable

Vestibule Floor (E3 68/7817.1) POTTERY

No vessels were cataloged, but 51 sherds, weighing 594 g, were counted in this deposit. They are LM I and include fragments of a trefoil-mouthed jug and conical cup.

CERAMICS

Loomweight: IVA.729 (C 1447)

STONE

Handstone: GS 2633

Collapse over Stairs and Room 2.2 (E3 6908) POTTERY

In addition to three inventoried vessels, 889 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 7 kg, were counted in this

deposit. The pottery is mostly LM IB. Dining vessels make up approximately 11.8% of the sherds by weight, cooking vessels 8.0%, and storage vessels 1.0%. The forms include fragments of conical, ogival, and rounded cups, a barbotine scoop, a sidehandled bowl, hole-mouth and piriform jars, tripod cooking pots, and cooking dishes. Thirty EM and Protopalatial sherds were also counted. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: 2 conical cups (Type A): P 978, P 4053 Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Fine decorated jar with floral motif: P 4361 CERAMIC

Stand: IVA.562 (C 224)

STONE

Hammerstone: IIC.233 (GS 791) Grinder: IIC.368 (GS 801) 2 obsidian blades: CS 899.1, CS 899.2 2 obsidian flakes: CS 900.1, CS 900.2

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 4; NONID 19)

2 tibiae, 1 metapodial, and 1 mandibular tooth of ovicaprids; 11 long bone and 8 teeth fragments of medium-sized mammals

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (52 MNI)

21 Patella sp., 4 Monodonta sp., 12 Hexaplex trunculus, 6 Charonia sp., 1 Buccinulum corneum, 1 Tonna galea fragment, 1 Pisania sp., 1 Cerithium sp. rupestre, 1 Spondylus gaederopus lower half, 1 Donax sp., 1 Ostrea sp., 1 beach-worn shell fragment, 1 fossilized shell

WOOD

1 Prunus sp.

Collapse over Stairwell Return (E3 6911.1) POTTERY

In addition to one cataloged and two inventoried vessels, 642 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 6 kg, were counted in this deposit. The pottery is predominantly LM IB. Dining vessels make up approximately 14% of the sherds by weight, storage vessels 8%, and cooking vessels 6%. There are 39 sherds of granodiorite fabric and 14 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Scored basin, Gournia import: P 12181 Scuttle: IVB.1681 (P 12180) Closed decorated vessel, West Cretan or off-island import: P 5515

CERAMIC

Drain: IVA.373 (C 1331)

COPPER ALLOY

Pin: IVA.250 (CA 214)

STONE

Bowl: IVA.597 (S 378) Obsidian blade: CS 901.2 Obsidian chip: CS 901.1

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT MAMMAL BONES (NISP 7; NONID 32)

1 astragalus of goat; 1 humerus, 2 tibia, 2 mandibular teeth, and 1 maxillary tooth of ovicaprids; 12 long bones and 20 nonidentifiable bone fragments of medium-sized mammals

MICROFAUNA (NISP 1)

Muridae: 1 caudal vertebra

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (5 MNI)

1 Patella sp., 1 Monodonta sp., 3 Hexaplex trunculus

BOTANICAL REMAINS

0/6 Prunus amygdalus

WOOD

1 Leguminosae, 1 Prunus amygdalus/P. spinosa, 1 conifer

Floor of Closet beneath South Stairwell (E3 6924) POTTERY

In addition to one inventoried and three cataloged vessels, 173 sherds, weighing 1.3 kg, were counted in this deposit. The pottery is LM IB and includes fragments of conical, ogival, and rounded cups, jars, cooking pots, and cooking dishes. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Small lid (Type C): IVB.1463 (P 4101) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Conical cup lamp: IVB.1 (P 4420) Fine cup decorated with wavy bands: P 4370 Cooking dish: IVB.1629 (P 4363)

19

Fill beneath North Stairwell (E3 6912) POTTERY

In addition to four cataloged and five inventoried vessels, 397 sherds, weighing 4.7 kg, were counted in this deposit. The pottery is LM IB, mostly fine ware including many fragments of conical and ogival cups, as well as tall one-handled conical cups and jugs. Coarse wares include pithos and cooking dish fragments. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: 2 conical cups (A): P 4055, P 4056 Large decorated conical cup: P 4054 Barbotine scoop: IVB.1084 (P 4366) Lid reused from pithos base: IVB.1518 (P 4057) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Rounded cup: P 4364 Piriform jar with incised lily: IVB.1268 (P 3901) Oval-mouthed amphora: IVB.1354 (P 4362) Cooking dish: P 4376

STONE

Obsidian blade: CS 1472.2 2 obsidian flakes: CS 1472.1, CS 1472.3

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 1; NONID 9)

1 maxillary tooth of ovicaprid; 9 nonidentifiable bone fragments of medium-sized mammals

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (25 MNI)

15 Patella sp., 2 Monodonta sp., 5 Hexaplex trunculus, 1 Charonia sp., 1 Buccinulum corneum, 1 crab claw

Ground Floor Rooms 2.1 and 2.2 Stratigraphy Rooms 2.1 and 2.2, located to the south of the stairwell in the middle of the house, lay under heavily used LM III surfaces. The southern part of Room 2.1 lay under House Beta’s cookshed, while the northern part lay under the house’s front yard. The western facade of House Beta, including its entrance, ran across Room 2.2, so that the western side of the Minoan room lay beneath the front yard of House Beta, while most of the room to the east lay beneath the floor of the LM III house (Soles and Brogan 2008, 67–72, fig. 3). As a result, most of the upper story collapse was destroyed by this later occupation, but a small amount remained in a strong brown (7.5 YR 4/6) soil at an elevation of +7.34–7.24 in Room 2.1 (Locus 6804.2–3) and in Room 2.2 (Locus 6908.2). This soil served as bedding for the LM III floor surface above. The LM IB floor deposit in the northern

part of Room 2.1 lay beneath at +7.26–7.02 (Loci 6817A, 6875.1–3), but it was destroyed in the southern part of the room where the LM III cookshed sat. A lower and earlier LM I floor deposit survived, however, beneath the LM III cookshed in a pale brown (10YR 6/3) soil at an elevation of +6.99–6.59 (Loci 6811, 6875.4–7). It was associated with earlier walls that appeared along the north, west, and east sides of the room beneath the LM IB walls and contained both LM IB and LM IA pottery, but it was not completely excavated. Two LM IB floor deposits were identified in Room 2.2 (Fig. 9). The more recent, which still preserved traces of a plaster surface, lay at an elevation of +7.23–7.00 and was excavated in three loci. In the northern half of the room, where the plaster was especially well preserved, the floor was located in a very pale brown (10YR 7/4) soil at an elevation of +7.09–7.00 (6911.2–3). Toward the center of the room where the north balk of Trench 5800 ran

20

JEFFREY S. SOLES

it was located in a similar soil at the bottom of Locus 6806.3A, which lay at an elevation of +7.23–7.00. An earlier floor level lay beneath in a light brown (7.5YR 6/4) soil at an elevation of +7.00–6.83 (Loci 58/6818, 58/6819). While excavating this lower floor, earlier walls appeared on the north and west sides of the room, both projecting toward the interior of the room (Fig. 4; Pl. 7A). A stone quern (IVA.1029) located against the south wall was uncovered at an elevation of +6.96. It was placed on top of a plastered and stone-lined pit, which contained a remarkable bronze hoard that was dug into the surrounding soil at an elevation of +6.83–6.29 (Locus 58/6822.2). The surrounding soil was excavated in the same locus, but different pails, at an elevation of +6.83– 5.89 (Deposit 3; Locus 58/6822.1, 3–11). It was a fine brown (7.5YR 5/4) soil full of Santorini tephra, pumice balls, plaster, and collapsed wall debris, and it dated to the time of the LM IA eruption (Pls. 7A, 7B). The remains of an opening in the northern LM IA wall was excavated at +6.75–6.36 (58/6823), and a paved MM III floor surface was reached beneath this collapse at an elevation of +5.99–5.89 (Loci 58/6824, 58/6825; Fig. 9; Pl. 7C). Because of a change in soil color beneath the MM III deposit, with a darker soil lying along the south side of the room and a lighter fill along the north, the area was divided into two loci. The north side was excavated first at an elevation of +6.02–5.60, and a MM II deposit that belonged to the earlier house on the site (Locus 58/6827) was uncovered. The area alongside the south wall of the room, which formed a foundation trench for the erection of the wall in the MM III period, was excavated next in a brown (7.5YR 4/3) soil at an elevation of +5.89–5.34 (Loci 58/6826, 58/6828) until bedrock was reached.

Architecture and Finds The doorway in the south wall of the vestibule led into Room 2.1, a rectangular room measuring ca. 2.85 x 3.40 m that was provided with a plaster floor (Fig. 12). Located against the west facade of the house, the room is likely to have had a window in its west wall, probably set toward the middle of the room where the wall is preserved 1.90 m above Avenue 2 and 0.80 m above the room’s floor (Figs. 6, 7). The room’s walls on the north and east were constructed of mudbrick set on low stone socles, while its western wall was constructed entirely in

stone, as was probably the case with the southern wall. Both the north and east walls belong to the Phase 3 reconstruction. Both sit on top of earlier LM IA walls that project at their base. They were built with low stone socles of one to two courses, 0.19–0.24 m high, with sun-dried mudbrick courses placed on top, four of which survive at the east end of the north wall and three at the north end of the east wall (Fig. 4).12 The LM IB floor preserved remains of two plaster surfaces, the earlier painted red and the later white (IVA.1226). The earlier LM IA walls, which lay beneath the room’s floor, rested on bedrock along the eastern side of the room and on earlier fill along the west and north.13 In its final phase of use, the room contained two piriform pithoi (IVB.1395, IVB.1396 [Pl. 11]) and a rounded cup decorated with a running spiral (IVB.761). An agate bead (IVA.337) also lay on the floor, but there were no other notable finds. Room 2.1 may have served primarily as a transit point leading to other rooms in the interior of the house, and perhaps for this reason it was kept relatively open. There should have been two doorways, therefore, one in the east wall leading to Room 2.2 and another in the south wall leading to Room 2.4, but neither is preserved. The mudbrick superstructure found in the northern part of the room’s east wall blocked access here, so an opening could only have been located at its southern end in the southeastern corner of the room (Fig. 12). The stones of the wall are preserved here at floor level and could have served as the threshold of a doorway, ca. 0.75 m wide, that led to the landing of the auxiliary staircase set in the middle of the house. From there one could reach Room 2.2 as well as the basement and upper floor rooms. Conceivably one could also reach Room 2.4, which lay to the south, from this landing through a doorway at the room’s northeast corner, although a doorway might also have led directly into the room through the south wall of Room 2.1, as the uppermost course of stones in the wall also lay at ground floor level and might have provided a threshold at any point (Fig. 8). Regardless of how Room 2.2 was entered, it was a narrower room than 2.1, measuring ca. 3.30 m in length but only 2.00 m in width. Its floor also preserved remains of white plaster (Pl. 10B). Its north, east, and west walls all belonged to the LM IB reconstruction. Its west wall was the east wall of Room

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT

2.1. Its north wall was the south wall of the staircase and rested on the northern edge of an earlier LM IA wall (Fig. 4; Pl. 7C). The east wall, which extended like the west wall all the way to the main east–west wall that runs through the building, sat on top of the earlier LM IA wall at its north end and on collapsed LM IA debris to the south (Fig. 9; Pl. 7C).14 Only the room’s south wall belongs to the original Phase 1 building. It shows no signs of rebuilding and sits in a deep foundation trench on top of bedrock, where it stands over 2 m high.15 The earlier wall on the north, which projects 0.49–0.71 m south of its LM IB successor, belonged to a LM IA rebuilding.16 Its east end rests on the MM III wall that lay beneath the room’s east wall, while most of it rests on fill 0.15 m thick a short distance above a MM III surface. The MM III surface was paved with limestone slabs set in a clay bed and belonged to a basement room or crawl space located beneath the room in Phase 1. It was originally entered from a doorway in the basement level of Room 2.3 (Fig. 11), and it appears to have continued in use until the end of the LM IA period, when it was filled with collapse debris. A half pithos, IVB.1397 (P 5770), once sat on the final Phase 4 floor in the northwest of Room 2.2. It was badly broken and scattered over this area (Fig. 13; Pl. 10B). The largest part lay on its side in the room’s corner, and this is probably where the pithos originally stood, although another part of its rim lay toward the center of the room. A trefoilmouthed jug, IVB.1181 (P 1541), lay with it, scattered along the north side of the room. A stone quern, IVA.1029 (GS 2744), lay upside down midway along the south wall of the room, and a few other stone tools, which may have been used with the quern at one time, lay nearby, but most of the room appears to have been left clear. The quern lay in the accumulated soil of the Phase 4 deposit and was located near the floor’s original plaster surface, although no plaster covered it (Fig. 9; Pl. 12A). It was clearly associated with the Phase 4 floor level, however, and someone must have dug into the floor deposit in the final LM IB period to bury it. It is an important observation because it was meant to cover a pit in which a large collection of bronzes was hidden (Figs. 9, 13; Pl. 12). A half oxhide ingot, IVA.150 (CA 283), weighing 15 kg, lay immediately beneath the quern (Frontispiece; see also Fig. 107 and Pl. 71, below). It was

21

placed smooth side up, woolly side down, and one of its two horns inclined slightly against the south wall of the room so as to prevent the weight of the ingot from damaging anything that lay beneath (Pl. 12:c). Like most of the copper ingots at Mochlos, it is likely to have come from a workshop in Cyprus, but before traveling to Crete it went to some entrepôt on the Levantine coast, where a merchant incised a mark in the shape of a ship’s rudder on its woolly side (Soles 2005). A bronze sistrum lay immediately beneath the ingot (IVA.183 [CA 281]; Fig. 13; Pl. 12; see also Fig. 109 and Pl. 73, below), still intact except for the top of its loop, which had broken off and lay alongside. Initially thought to have been an import from Egypt (Soles 2005), it is likely to have been produced locally, probably in the metal shops in the Artisans’ Quarter at Mochlos (Soles 2011b). Its pins and disks have a high tin and silver content to create a fuller timber and a bell-like sustain that caused the sound to last longer before becoming inaudible. The Mochlos metallurgists were sophisticated enough to realize the properties of different metals and thus to create such an instrument. The sistrum sat atop a pair of bronze tongs (IVA.218, IVA.219 [CA 279, CA 280]; Fig. 13; Pl. 12) and a bronze saw that was missing the rivets for its handle (IVA.204 [CA 278]; Fig. 13; Pl. 12). They formed a bedding for the sistrum, which was apparently placed on top of the hoard with great care, sheltered by the ingot above. It was the last item to be placed in the pit and was probably regarded with some reverence. Neither it nor the tongs and saw below showed any signs of use. A bowl, IVA.225 (CA 274), was placed below them with a double axe, IVA.209 (CA 277), and a dagger, IVA.200 (CA 276), on top of it (Fig. 13; Pl. 12). The bowl was badly broken, probably from the weight of the axe, but it was intact when placed in the pit. It also had a relatively high tin content designed, in this case, to make it the color of gold. It, too, was placed in the pit with some care and sat on a cloth that left textile impressions on its base. The axe showed very little signs of use and the dagger none at all, even though its wooden handle was attached with its two rivets still in place and it was ready to be used. The first of 59 ingot fragments, most relatively small and many showing calcified textile patterns of the bags in which they had been placed, appeared

22

JEFFREY S. SOLES

beneath (see Fig. 102 and Pls. 68–70, below). Other objects included a tool that may have been used to cut the ingots from larger pieces, a short and robust wedge-shaped chisel, IVA.190 (CA 342), made with arsenic to increase the hardness of the blade, and balance pans (IVA.222 [CA 378], IVA.223 [CA 379]) that were probably used to weigh them. Over 130 items, weighing nearly 57 kg, were cataloged, including many unused objects, which suggest that they belonged to a merchant’s hoard and were waiting to be traded for other goods at the time they were buried (see Figs. 105–114, below; Soles and GiumliaMair, this vol., Ch. 3; Soles 2008a). The stone-lined pit, dug through the earlier LM IB floor, extended into the collapsed LM IA debris of the Phase 2 building (Fig. 9). Many pieces of plaster were found in this collapse including white, red, and yellow floor and wall fragments (IVA.1227, IVA.1228). Numerous broken conical cups, many not yet standardized in shape like those later produced in the Artisans’ Quarter, lay in the debris; several cups were filled with tephra (Pl. 7B; IVB.7 [P 6007], IVB.527 [P 6015]); and the remains of two imported vessels from East Crete (IVB.1182 [P 5865], P 7460) and two from outside Crete (IVB.1374 [P 7485], IVB.1728 [P 7427]) were also found in the collapse. Six small pieces of copper, weighing from 16 to 155 g, were also located here. Most belonged to ingot fragments, except for the smallest, IVA.226 (CA 284), which may be casting residue. A bellow’s spout (IVA.657 [C 729]; see Fig. 148, below) was found with them, and the two suggest a time before the construction of the Artisans’ Quarter when metalworking took place in the main settlement area (Brogan 2008). A large amount of obsidian was also recovered, including four cores and an unworked chunk of obsidian, together with 47 blades and 56 flakes. These finds indicate that obsidian was once worked in the room. A serpentine cushion seal (IVA.326 [S 423]; see Fig. 129 and Pl. 92, below) decorated with a crouching lion naturalistically depicted with head turned toward his tail also lay in the debris. The faunal remains in the deposit were particularly rich in marine invertebrates but not in mammal remains. The typical edible shellfish, such as limpets and top shells, were very common. The same is true for the purple shells (Hexaplex trunculus). Although most were crushed to pieces, there are several very small individuals. Dimitra Mylona

notes that these features, along with the presence of a number of Buccinulum sp., suggest that at least part of the molluscan assemblage originated from a purple dye production site (see Mylona, this vol., Ch. 10, pp. 439–440; Apostolakou et al. 2016). The MM III deposit that lay beneath the LM IA collapse (Deposit 1) was uncovered in a deep but narrow trench that cut into bedrock and ran along the north side of a wall that formed part of the support for the auxiliary staircase in the middle of the house (Figs. 9, 13; Pl. 7C).17 A large deposit of obsidian located here suggests that people were also manufacturing obsidian blades in the house in this period.

Collapse above Room 2.1 (E3 6804.2–3) POTTERY

No vessels were cataloged, but 651 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 5.1 kg, were counted in this deposit. The material is nearly all LM IB. Dining vessels make up approximately 17% of the sherds by weight, cooking vessels 2%, and storage vessels 1.8%. They include fragments of conical and ogival cups, rounded cups decorated with foliate bands, others with spirals and horizontal bands, as well as collared and bridge-spouted jars. There are also 20 EM and Protopalatial sherds.

WOOD

1 Acer sp., 14 Olea europaea, 1 Pinus brutia/P. halepensis, 1 deciduous Quercus sp.

Room 2.1, Floor 2 (E3 6817A, 6875.1–3) POTTERY

In addition to four cataloged vessels, weighing 63.7 kg, 1,621 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 19.3 kg, were counted from this deposit, and all will be included in the statistical tables in Mochlos IVB. The pottery is predominantly LM IB. Pithoi make up 80.4% of the pottery total by weight, cooking vessels 2.2%, and dining vessels 1.6%. Closed and open vessel fragments make up 12.1% and 3.4%, respectively. There are 55 sherds of granodiorite fabric and 45 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Rounded cup (Type A): IVB.761 (P 7622; 6875.2+ 4718.4 from Room 1.7) 2 pithoi: IVB.1395, IVB.1396 (P 1113, P 1710; 6817.1) Lid (Type B): IVB.1459 (P 6869; 6875.3)

STONE

Agate bead: IVA.337 (S 503; 6875.1) Hammerstone: IVA.995 (GS 1914; 6875.1) Hand-/hammerstone: IVA.1000 (GS 1924; 6875.2) 5 obsidian flakes: CS 1953.1–CS 1953.3 (6875.1); CS 1954 (6875.2); CS 1955 (6875.3)

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT PLASTER

Floor plaster: IVA.1226 (Pl 3; 6875.1–3)

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 2; NONID 6)

1 first phalanx and 1 mandibular tooth of pig; 1 rib fragment and 5 nonidentifiable bone splinters of medium-sized mammal (6875.1–3)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (14 MNI)

8 Patella sp., 2 Monodonta sp., 2 Hexaplex trunculus, 1 Buccinulum corneum, 1 Pisania sp. (6875.1–3)

Room 2.1, Floor 1 (E3 6811, 6875.4–11) POTTERY

In addition to two cataloged and three inventoried vessels, 1,734 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 17.7 kg, were counted from this deposit. The pottery is predominantly LM IB with some LM IA, including IVB.524. Dining vessels make up approximately 14.5% of the Neopalatial pottery count, cooking vessels 4%, and storage vessels 1%. There are 55 sherds of granodiorite fabric and 31 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Conical cup (A): P 7613 (6811) Large decorated conical cup: IVB.524 (P 7589; 6811) Fine decorated cup: P 4068 (6811) Pithos: P 7604 (6875.6) Cooking pot: IVB.1556 (P 4367; 6811)

CERAMIC

2 loomweights: IVA.721 (C 204; 6811.3); IVA.732 (C 862; 6875.7)

STONE

Bowl: IVA.596 (S 530; 6875.7) 5 hammerstones: IVA.994, IVA.1001, IVA.1012, IVA.1017 (GS 1832, GS 2381, GS 1786, GS 1828; 6875.7); GS 1916 (6875.5) Hand-/hammerstone: IVA.999 (GS 1834; 6875.6) Handstone: GS 1652 (6875.7) Grinder: GS 1829 (6875.7)

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 10; NONID 32)

1 astragalus and 1 first and 1 second phalanx of sheep; 1 astragalus of goat; 1 metatarsal, 1 mandibular tooth, and 1 maxillary tooth of ovicaprid; 1 scapula and 1 mandible of pig; 28 nonidentifiable bone fragments of medium-sized mammals (6875.4–7); 1 maxillary tooth of ovicaprid; 4 nonidentifiable bone splinters (6811.3)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (68 MNI)

30 Patella sp., 7 Monodonta sp., 14 Hexaplex, 1 Charonia sp., 2 Buccinulum corneum, 1 Cerithium sp., 1 Tonna galea fragment, 1 Pisania sp., 1 Columbella sp., 1 Erosaria sp., 2 Gibbula sp., 1 Bolinus brandaris, 1 vermetid, 2 waterworn shell fragments (6875.4–7); 4 Charonia sp., 2 Spondylus sp. (6811.2)

WOOD

1 Leguminosae, 10 Olea europaea, 1 Phillyrea sp./ Rhamnus alaternus, 1 Pinus brutia/P. halepensis,

23

1 Pinus sp., 1 Prunus amygdalus, 1 Prunus sp., 3 evergreen Quercus sp., 1 nonidentifiable (6811); 26 Olea europaea, 2 Pistacia lentiscus, 1 deciduous Quercus sp., 6 evergreen Quercus sp., 2 angiosperms (6875.1–7)

Room 2.2, Floor 2 (E3 6911.2–3, 6806.3A) POTTERY

In addition to five cataloged and eight inventoried vessels from this deposit, weighing 40.4 kg, 851 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 6.3 kg, were counted and included in the statistical tables to be published in Mochlos IVB. The pottery is nearly all LM IB. Pithoi and jars make up 86.3% of the pottery total by weight, and cooking vessels 1.6%. There are 12 sherds of granodiorite fabric and 21 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Trefoil-mouthed jug: IVB.1181 (P 1541; 6911.2) Pithos: IVB.1397 (P 5770; 6911.2) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Rounded cup with wavy bands and a row of dots: P 4365 (6911.2) Horizontal-handled bowl: IVB.958 (P 4371; 6911.2) Bridge-spouted jar: IVB.1227 (P 4050; 6911.2) 2 fine jars with incised wavy bands: P 5689, P 5690 (6911.2) Jar with incised wavy bands, East Cretan import: P 5688 (6911.2) Strainer: IVB.1314 (P 4360; 6911.2) Cooking tray, Gournia import: P 1861 (6911.2) 2 closed decorated vessels: P 4368, P 5686 (6911.2) 2 open decorated vessels: P 4365, P 5687 (6911.2)

STONE

Obsidian core: CS 902.6 (6911.2) 6 obsidian blades: IVA.899, IVA.921, IVA.930, IVA.933 (CS 1470.2, CS 1470.1, CS 1470.3, CS 1174), CS 902.1, CS 902.2 (6911.2) Obsidian chip: CS 1471.2 (6911.2) 7 obsidian flakes: IVA.894, IVA.887 (CS 1470.4, CS 1470.6), CS 902.3–CS 902.5, CS 1470.5, CS 1471.1 (6911.2)

MODIFIED MARINE INVERTEBRATE

Bead: IVA.338 (Sh 150; 6911.2)

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 0; NONID 18)

18 long bones of medium-sized mammals (6911.2)

MICROFAUNA (NISP 3)

Muridae: 1 femur proximal epiplysis; Mus sp.: 1 upper incisor, 1 R m1 (6911.2)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (67 MNI)

24 Patella sp., 1 Diodora graeca, 6 Monodonta sp., 24 Hexaplex trunculus, 2 Charonia sp., 3 Euthria cornea, 1 Cerithium sp., 2 Bittium sp., sea urchin spines, 2 beach-worn shell fragments, 1 crab claw (6911.2)

BOTANICAL REMAINS

0/4 Prunus amygdalus (6911.2)

24

JEFFREY S. SOLES

Room 2.2, Pit with Merchant’s Hoard (58/ 6822.2) POTTERY

No pottery was found in this deposit.

COPPER ALLOY

Raw materials Half ingot: IVA.150 (CA 283/ANM 14389) 59 ingot fragments: IVA.91, IVA.92, IVA.94– IVA.150 (CA 301E, CA 419, CA 417, CA 418, CA 301D, CA 337, CA 273, CA 336, CA 340, CA 301C, CA 301B, CA 339, CA 332, CA 416, CA 304, CA 266, CA 267, CA 307, CA 275, CA 415, CA 414, CA 305, CA 344, CA 306, CA 335, CA 411, CA 362, CA 424, CA 423, CA 421/ANM 15491, CA 365, CA 368, CA 366, CA 367, CA 373, CA 375, CA 364, CA 331, CA 330, CA 372, CA 370, CA 303, CA 374, CA 338, CA 376, CA 309, CA 361, CA 369, CA 363, CA 358, CA 353, CA 357, CA 354, CA 371, CA 359, CA 360, CA 356, CA 355) Waste/Spill: IVA.151, IVA.152 (CA 286, CA 341) Scrap: IVA.153–IVA.159 (CA 438/ANM 15495, CA 447, CA 404/ANM 15483, CA 391, CA 394/ ANM 15477, CA 381/ANM 15459, CA 504) Semi-worked material 12 strips: IVA.162–IVA.171, IVA.173, IVA.174 (CA 349, CA 351, CA 395, CA 377/ANM 15458, CA 412/ANM 15489, CA 420/ANM 15490, CA 422, CA 425/ANM 15492, CA 426/ANM 15493, CA 449/ANM 15496, CA 390/ANM 15475, CA 407/ANM 15485) Strip bundle: IVA.172 (CA 268) Sheet metal: IVA.160, IVA.161 (CA 301A, CA 392) Preforms: IVA.175, IVA.176 (CA 302, CA 396) Objects Miniature ingot: IVA.177 (CA 333) 4 needles: IVA.178–IVA.181 (CA 450/ANM 15497, CA 451/ANM 15498, CA 346/ANM 15454, CA 452/ANM 15499) Rivet: IVA.182 (CA 503) Sistrum: IVA.183 (CA 281/ANM 14398) 7 chisels: IVA.184–IVA.190 (CA 270/ANM 15447, CA 383/ANM 15472, CA 398/ANM 15478, CA 408/ANM 15486, CA 409/ANM 15487, CA 410/ ANM 15488, CA 342/ANM 15452) Chisel with sleeve: IVA.191 (CA 343/ANM 15453) 9 daggers: IVA.192–IVA.200 (CA 289/ANM 15451, CA 385/ANM 15471, CA 386/ANM 15473, CA 387/ANM 15474, CA 399/ANM 15479, CA 401/ ANM 15480, CA 405/ANM 15484, CA 393/ ANM 15476, CA 276/ANM 15450) 3 knives: IVA.201–IVA.203 (CA 397/ANM 15469, CA 402/ANM 15481, CA 352/ANM 15457) Saw: IVA.204 (CA 278/ANM 15470) 2 hooks: IVA.205, IVA.206 (CA 350/ANM 15456, CA 271/ANM 15448) Drill bit: IVA.207 (CA 389) Awl: IVA.208 (CA 347/ANM 15455)

9 double axes: IVA.209–IVA.217 (CA 277/SM 13849, CA 290/SM 13850, CA 300/SM 13851, CA 308/ANM 15463, CA 380/ANM 15464, CA 382/ANM 15465, CA 384/ANM 15466, CA 400/ ANM 15467, CA 406/ANM 15468) 3 tongs: IVA.218–IVA.220 (CA 280/SM 13843, CA 279/SM 13842, CA 269/ANM 15446) Adze: IVA.221 (CA 403/AN 14397) 2 balance pans: IVA.222, IVA.223 (CA 378/ANM 14407, CA 379/ANM 14408) 2 bowls: IVA.224, IVA.225 (CA 287/ANM 14394, CA 274/ANM 15449) Tripod leg: IVA.158 (CA 381/ANM 15459) Tweezers: IVA.157 (CA 394/ANM 15477) STONE

Obsidian blade: CS 1656

Room 2.2, Lower LM IB Floor (E3 58/6818, 58/6819) POTTERY

In addition to eight cataloged vessels and two inventoried vessels, with a combined weight of 597 g, 3,355 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 24 kg, were counted from this deposit; all will be included in the statistical tables in Mochlos IVB. The pottery is largely LM IB. Dining vessels make up 8.1% of the pottery total by weight, storage vessels 6.4%, and cooking vessels 4.4%. Closed and open vessel fragments make up the largest percentages, 67.2% and 13.3%, respectively. There are also 67 sherds of granodiorite fabric and 66 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: 3 conical cups (A): IVB.2–IVB.4 (P 5771, P 5788, P 7533; 58/6819) Large decorated conical cup: IVB.525 (P 5832; 58/6819) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Conical cup (A): P 7528 (58/6819) Ogival cup (B): IVB.678 (P 5767; 58/6819) Tripod bowl: IVB.1031 (P 7530; 58/6819) Jar with rope decoration: P 7428 (58/6818) 2 strainers: IVB.1315, IVB.1316 (P 5790, P 7532; 58/6819) Bowl: P 7526 (58/6819) 2 tripod cooking pots: P 7534, P 7537 (58/6819)

COPPER ALLOY

Ingot fragment: IVA.93 (CA 282; 58/6819)

STONE

Bead: IVA.339 (S 447; 58/6819) 5 hammerstones: IVA.993 (GS 2624), GS 1514, GS 2643, GS 2645, GS 2652 (58/6819) 5 handstones: GS 2625–GS 2627, GS 2637, GS 2640 (58/6819) 2 querns: IVA.1026, IVA.1029 (GS 2629, GS 2744; 58/6819) Obsidian core: CS 1648.3 (58/6819.1)

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT

4 obsidian blades: CS 1647.1 (58/6819.1); CS 1649.2, CS 1649.3, CS 1651 (58/6819.2) 6 obsidian chips: CS 1644.1–CS 1644.3 (58/6818.1); CS 1650.1–CS 1650.3 (58/6819.2) 9 obsidian flakes: CS 1645.1, CS 1645.2, CS 1646.1, CS 1646.2 (58/6818.1); CS 1647.2, CS 1648.1, CS 1648.2, CS 1648.4 (58/6819.1); CS 1649.1 (58/6819.2) FAIENCE

Bead: IVA.340 (F 35; 58/6819)

MODIFIED MARINE INVERTEBRATE

Charonia sequenzae: IVA.699 (Sh 153; 58/6818.1)

MAMMALS (NISP 1; NONID 70; 1 BURNED BONE)

10 nonidentifiable bone splinters of minute size (>1 cm) (58/6818.1); 1 second phalanx of ovicaprid and 60 nonidentifiable bone fragments of mediumsized mammals (58/6819.2)

MICROFAUNA (NISP 14)

Muridae: 1 upper incisor, 6 lower incisors, 2 distal tibiae, 3 caudal vertebrae, 1 metapodial; Mus sp.: 1 upper incisor (58/6819.1–2)

FISH BONES (NISP 2; NONID 1)

1 caudal vertebra of sea bream (Sparidae), 1 caudal vertebra of picarel/sea bream (Centracanthidae/ Spartidae), 1 cranial bone of an indeterminate large fish (25–50 cm) (58/6819.1–2)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (373 MNI; 1 BURNED)

12 Patella sp., 15 Monodonta sp., 22 Hexaplex trunculus, 1 Cerithium sp., 3 Buccinulum sp., 1 Pisania sp., 1 Pisania/Columbella, 1 Columbella sp., 2 Gibbula sp., 2 Bittium sp., 1 Cerithium rupestre, 2 Barbatia barbata, 1 Charonia sp., sea urchin spines, 1 fossil Pecten sp. (58/6818.1); 109 Patella sp., 54 Monodonta sp., 50 Hexaplex trunculus, 8 Charonia sp., 1 Cerithium sp., 5 Buccinulum sp., 2 Fasciolaria lignaria, 2 Tonna galea, 14 Pisania sp., 11 Columbella sp., 18 Gibbula sp., 2 Erosaria sp., 2 Conus sp., 1 Cerithium rupestre, 7 Bittium sp., 1 Luria lurida, 5 Hinia sp., 1 Alvania sp., 1 Arca noae, 2 Spondylus gaederopus, 1 Donax sp., 7 waterworn pieces, sea urchin spines, 2 crab claws (58/6819.1–2)

BOTANICAL REMAINS

Prunus amygdalus 0/5, Vitis vinifera 2/3, Olea europaea 0/2 (58/6819)

WOOD

2 Olea europaea, 3 Pinus brutia/P. halepensis, 1 Prunus amygdalus, 1 Prunus amygdalus/P. spinosa (58/6818.1); 43 Olea europaea, 3 Pinus brutia/P. halepensis, 2 Pinus sp., 6 Prunus amygdalus, 1 Prunus webbii, 1 Prunus sp., 4 deciduous Quercus sp., 3 evergreen Quercus sp., 1 Quercus sp., 5 angiosperm (58/6819.1–2)

Room 2.2, LM IA Collapse (Deposit 3, E3 58/ 6822.1, 3–11) POTTERY

In addition to 18 cataloged and 42 inventoried vessels with a combined weight of 2.6 kg, 7,717 Neopalatial

25

sherds, weighing 45.4 kg, were counted in this deposit; all will be included in the statistical tables in Mochlos IVB. The pottery is predominantly LM IA with some earlier material including MM III, EM, and Protopalatial. Dining vessels make up 9.2% of the pottery total by weight, storage vessels 6.7%, cooking vessels 3.2%, and pouring vessels 1.2%. Closed and open vessel fragments make up the largest percentages, 64.4% and 13.3%, respectively. There are also 273 sherds of granodiorite fabric and 237 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: 6 conical cups (A): IVB.5 (P 5892; 58/6822.4); IVB.6 (P 5994; 58/6822.6); IVB.7 (P 6007; 58/6822.8); IVB.8 (P 7449; 58/6822.1); IVB.9, IVB.10 (P 7495, P 7554; 58/6822.11) Conical cup (B): IVB.443 (P 7416; 58/6822.5) 3 large decorated conical cups: IVB.526 (P 5953; 58/6822.5); IVB.527 (P 6015; 58/6822.8), IVB.528 (P 6114; 58/6822.10) Miniature cup: IVB.1732 (P 7472) Juglet: P 7481 (58/6822.7) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: 2 conical cups (A): P 7412 (58/6822.5); P 7552 (58/6822.4) Large decorated conical cup: P 6137 (58/6822, 58/6822.11) Rounded cup (B): IVB.812 (P 7489; 58/6822) 2 basins: IVB.1121 (P 7408; 58/6822.5); P 7494, Gournia import (56/6822.11) Trefoil-mouthed jug, East Cretan import: IVB.1182 (P 5865; 58/6822.3) Strainer: IVB.1317 (P 5889+P 7448; 58/6822.4) Amphora, off-island import: IVB.1374 (P 7485) Pithos with rope decoration: P 7441 (58/6822.4) Pithos: P 7422 (58/6822.5) 3 cooking trays: P 7405, P 7406 (58/6822.1); P 7492 (58/6822.10) 2 cooking dishes: P 7544 (58/6822.1); P 8277 (58/6822.7) Scuttle: IVB.1673 (P 7419) Closed decorated vessel, East Cretan import: P 7460 (58/6822.4) Closed decorated vessel with tendril scroll: P 7546 (58/6822.5) Closed undecorated vessel, southeast Aegean import: IVB.1728 (P 7427; 58/6822.8) Juglet: IVB.1737 (P 5927; 58/6822.5) Pottery earlier than the building less than 1/4 extant: Bowl (EM II): P 7424 (58/6822.5) 2 decorated closed vessels (EM III): P 7414 (58/6822.5); P 7450 (58/6822.1) Tumbler (MM II): P 7471 (58/6822.6) CERAMIC

Bellows: IVA.657 (C 729; 58/6822.4) Drain: IVA.369 (C 1277; 58/6822.7) 2 loomweights: IVA.713 (C 738; 58/6822.6); IVA.728 (C 1279; 58/6822.9)

26

JEFFREY S. SOLES

COPPER ALLOY

6 ingot fragments: IVA.226 (CA 284; 58/6822.4); IVA.227–IVA.231 (CA 429, CA 432, CA 433, CA 431, CA 430; 58/6822.9) Rod: IVA.237 (CA 285; 58/6822.5) Pin: IVA.248 (CA 436/ANM 15494; 58/6822.11)

STONE

Seal: IVA.326 (S 423; 58/6822.3) Vase: IVA.593 (S 421; 58/6822.1) Basin or bucket jar: S 435 (58/6822.8) Bowl: IVA.598 (S 439; 58/6822.9) 5 hammerstones: GS 1522, IVA.990 (GS 1541), GS 1565 (58/6822.4); GS 2651 (58/6822.6); GS 2692 (58/6822.8) 5 hand-/hammerstone: GS 1526 (58/6822.1); GS 1566, GS 1571, GS 2632 (58/6822.5); GS 2641 (58/6822.6) 19 handstones: GS 1531, GS 2622, GS 2625, GS 2626, IVA.1005 (GS 2628), GS 2640 (58/6822.1); GS 1509, GS 1544 (58/6822.3); GS 1537 (58/6822.4); GS 2637, IVA.1007 (GS 2648; 58/6822.6); GS 2681, GS 2664 (58/6822.7); IVA.1002 (GS 2631), GS 2653, GS 2666, GS 2689 (58/6822.8); GS 2635, GS 2658 (58/6822.10) Burnisher: IVA.1021 (GS 2683; 58/6822.7) 6 grinders: GS 1516, IVA.1015 (GS 1562; 58/6822.1); GS 1525 (58/6822.5); GS 1559 (58/6822.4); IVA.1014 (GS 2639), IVA.1016 (GS 2660; 58/ 6822.10) Quern: IVA.1028 (GS 1523; 58/6822.1) 2 balance weights: IVA.1039 (GS 2676; 58/6822.8), IVA.1035 (GS 2646; 58/6822.9) Naturally perforated cobble: IVA.1045 (GS 2623; 58/6822.10) 2 work surfaces: IVA.1030 (GS 1539; 58/6822.1), IVA.1031 (GS 1548; 58/6822.4) 4 obsidian cores: CS 1660.15, CS 1660.16 (58/6822.5); CS 1662.17, CS 1662.18 (58/6822.6) 47 obsidian blades: CS 1654.7, CS 1654.8 (58/6822.1); CS 1656 (58/6822.2); CS 1659.1–CS 1659.8 (58/6822.3); CS 1658.1, CS 1658.2 (58/6822.4); CS 1660.1–CS 1660.6, CS 1660.11, CS 1660.13 (58/6822.5); CS 1662.5–CS 1662.11, CS 1662.16 (58/6822.6); CS 1661.5, CS 1661.6 (58/6822.7); CS 1657.1–CS 1657.4 (E3 58/6822.8); CS 1652.8–CS 1652.12 (58/6822.10); CS 1653.3, CS 1653.7–CS 1653.10, CS 1653.12, CS 1653.13 (58/6822.11) 56 obsidian flakes: CS 1654.1–CS 1654.6 (58/6822.1); CS 1659.9–CS 1659.12 (58/6822.3); CS 1658.3– CS 1658.7 (58/6822.4); CS 1660.7–CS 1660.10, CS 1660.12, CS 1660.14 (58/6822.5); CS 1662.1–CS 1662.4, CS 1662.12–CS 1662.15 (58/6822.6); CS 1661.1–CS 1661.4 (58/6822.7); CS 1657.5, CS 1657.6 (58/6822.8); CS 1655.1–CS 1655.6 (58/6822.9); CS 1652.1–CS 1652.7, CS 1652.13, CS 1652.14 (58/6822.10); CS 1653.1, CS 1653.2, CS 1653.4– 1653.6, CS 1653.11 (58/6822.11) Obsidian chip: CS 901.1 (E3 6911.1)

PLASTER

Painted plaster: IVA.1227 (Pl 18; 58/6822.3–11); IVA.1228 (Pl 19, Pl 20; 58/6822.8)

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 43; NONID 81)

1 humerus, 7 radii, 1 ulna, 2 pelvices, 1 femur, 1 tibia, 1 metatarsal, 4 metapodials, 1 astragalus, 3 first phalanges, 4 second phalanges, 5 mandibular teeth, 6 maxillary teeth of ovicaprids; 1 radius, 1 second phalanx, 3 mandibular teeth of pig; 2 humeri of medium-sized mammal; 2 long bone, 7 mandibles, 1 flat, 9 vertebrae, 18 rib fragments, and 44 teeth fragments, mostly from ovicaprids (58/6822.1–11)

BIRD BONE (NISP 1)

1 indeterminate bone fragment (58/6822.1–11)

FISH BONES (NISP 3; NONID 0)

1 premaxilla of a common sea bream (Pagrus pagrus), 2 pharyngeal bones of parrot fish (Sparisoma cretense) (58/6822.1–11)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (793 MNI; 2 BURNED)

324 Patella sp., 82 Monodonta sp., 172 Hexaplex trunculus, 9 Charonia sp. fragments, 6 Cerithium sp., 3 Fasciolaria lignaria, 13 Buccinulum sp., 23 Pisania, 37 Columbella sp., 4 Tonna galea, 2 Erosaria sp., 51 Gibbula sp., 35 Cerithium rupestre, 2 Bittium sp., 1 Haliotis iris, 1 Cyclope neritea, 1 Clanculus sp., 1 vermetid, 1 Spondylus gaederopus, 2 Pinna nobilis fragment, 1 Arca noae, 4 Barbatia, 1 Mactra sp., 3 Donax sp., 1 Donax semistriatus, 1 Acanthocardia sp., 1 Dosinia sp., 1 Dentalium sp., 1 Hinia sp., 8 waterworn shells, 1 crab claw (58/6822.1–11)

WOOD

3 Erica sp., 2 Leguminosae, 20 Olea europaea, 2 Pinus brutia/P. halepensis, 1 Pistacia sp., 2 deciduous Quercus sp., 4 evergreen Quercus sp., 1 Quercus sp. (58/6822)

Room 2.2, MM III Floor and Foundation Trench (Deposit 1, E3 58/6824, 58/6825, 58/ 6826, 58/ 6828) POTTERY

In addition to four cataloged vessels, weighing 343 g, 797 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 5.2 kg, were counted from the foundation trench (Loci 58/6826, 58/6828). All of this material will be included in the statistical tables in Mochlos IVB. The pottery is predominantly MM III. Cooking vessels make up 17.5% of the total by weight; dining vessels 15.1%, storage vessels 5.4%, and jugs 1.2%. Closed and open vessel fragments make up the largest percentages, 43.3% and 15.4%, respectively. There are 34 sherds of granodiorite fabric and 124 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Stemmed cup: IVB.903 (P 6177; 58/6826)

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT

Pottery less than 1/4 extant: 2 cooking dishes: IVB.1632 (P 6161+P 6162+P 6163), IVB.1633, Gournia import (P 6203; 58/6826) Pottery earlier than the house 1/4 extant of more: Carinated cup (MM IIB): IVB.906 (P 12182) CERAMIC

2 loomweights: IVA.723 (C 443; 58/6824); IVA.726 (C 760; 58/6826)

STONE

Obsidian core: CS 1641.5 (58/6826.2) 12 obsidian blades: CS 1640.1, CS 1640.2 (58/6825.1); CS 1641.1–CS 1641.4 (58/6826.2); CS 1643.2–CS 1643.7 (E3 58/6826.1) 2 obsidian chips: CS 1642, CS 1643.13 (E3 58/6826.1) 6 obsidian flakes: CS 1643.1, CS 1643.8–CS 1643.12 (E3 58/6826.1)

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 8; NONID 45)

1 metatarsal of sheep; 1 humerus, 1 calcaneus, 1 tarsal, 1 first phalanx, and 1 maxillary tooth of ovicaprid; 1 first phalanx and 1 mandible of pig; 1 long bone of large-sized mammal; 3 long bone, 1 mandible, and 40 various nonidentifiable fragments of medium-sized mammal (58/6826.1–2)

27

of House Beta must have cleared away when they built their own house. A LM IB floor lay beneath in a brown soil (10 YR 5/3) at +6.60–6.33/6.24 (Loci 5905.2–3, 59/6919.2–3). It rested on a deposit of collapse debris with mixed LM IB and LM IA pottery that sat in a pale brown soil (10YR 6/3) at an elevation of +6.33–6.11 (Loci 5905.4–5, 59/6919.4). The collapsed material is thought to have been the remains of an upper story LM IA floor that was paved with schist slabs. A LM IA floor that had been paved and plastered lay beneath at an elevation of +6.11– 5.95 (Locus 5905.6, Deposit 4). A MM III deposit lay beneath in a brown (7.5YR 5/4) soil at an elevation of +5.96–5.78 (Locus 5905.7–9, Deposit 2). It includes some good examples of MM IIIA pottery, and it was associated with the house’s original construction. A MM II floor deposit, which preserved a relatively large number of complete vessels, lay beneath at an elevation of +5.82–5.43 (Soles and Davaras 1996, 181–184).

MICROFAUNA (NISP 3)

Soricidae: 1 upper incisor, 1 distal humerus, 1 humerus shaft (58/6826.1)

BIRD BONE (NONID 1)

1 unidentifiable bone fragment (58/6826.1)

FISH BONES (NISP 0; NONID 1)

1 spine of an indeterminate small fish (8–15 cm) (58/ 6826.1)

Room 2.3 Stratigraphy Room 2.3 lies in the northeast part of the house in Trench 5900. The trench was remarkable for its stratigraphy that extended from a LM III deposit just below the surface, which postdated the house, to a MM II deposit at the bottom, which predated the house (Fig. 10; Pl. 8B). The LM III deposit lay in the rear of House Beta (Locus 5903.1–2) and contained some LM IB material, including several conical cups (IIB.1018, IIB.1039, IIB.1035) that probably belonged to the original room (Soles and Brogan 2008, 67–69; Soles and Nicgorski 2010, 156–158). A thick layer of crushed purple schist with a few collapsed stones lay beneath at an elevation of +6.90– 6.54 (Loci 5905.1, 59/6919.1); it was identified as the remains of wall and roof collapse from the Minoan house, much of which the Mycenaean occupants

Architecture and Finds Room 2.3 is a roughly rectangular room measuring ca. 2.85 x 3.80 m. It was reached through a doorway in the east wall of Room 2.2 and perhaps another in the north wall of Room 2.5 (Fig. 12). It was provided with a simple dirt floor in its final period, Phase 4. In the LM IB period the room appears to have been a single story high, with its floor lying somewhat lower than the floors of the rooms to its west and south, but in the MM III and LM IA periods it had a basement room beneath it, presumably reached through a trap door in the floor above. Like the basement room beneath Room 2.2, the basement room here continued in use from the time the house was constructed until its collapse at the time of the Santorini eruption, when it was filled with debris and never dug out. Its west wall, which dates to the time of the house’s construction, is well preserved,18 and a doorway, ca. 0.55 m wide and provided with a built threshold ca. 0.30 m high, was located near the middle of the wall and provided access to the basement room beneath 2.2 (Fig. 11). After the LM IA collapse the wall was buried for good and a new wall, bedded on collapsed stones, was built slightly to its west, serving also as the east wall of Room 2.2. At the same time, the

28

JEFFREY S. SOLES

eastern wall of the staircase cage was extended onto the northern end of the room’s earlier west wall and appears to have flanked the north side of a doorway that led from Room 2.2 into Room 2.3. It probably replaced an earlier doorway that served the same function before the Santorini destruction. The south wall of the room, which was formed by the eastern part of the great east–west wall that separated the ground floor story of the house from its basement story,19 survived the LM IA destruction (Fig. 11). Like the rest of this wall, it was an interior wall that was sunk all the way to bedrock, the same level as the MM II floor, which lies at the bottom of the room to its north. The east wall of the room, which formed part of the house’s eastern facade, was rebuilt on top of the remains of the earlier wall at this side of the house, which was also sunk to bedrock.20 It suffered from earthquake damage and shows three distinct phases of construction, an earlier phase that dates to the time of the house’s construction with subsequent damage in the MM III period, a later phase associated with the LM IA period at the end of which the upper part of the wall collapsed, and a final phase when the house was rebuilt at the beginning of the LM IB period (Pl. 8A). The north wall of the room also collapsed at this time and was rebuilt on top of collapse debris, but it was set farther back to the north than the earlier north wall, enlarging the room slightly (Pl. 8B). Like the east wall, it shows three successive building stages: a LM IB wall that sits on top of collapsed LM IA debris, preceded by a LM IA wall that sits beneath, placed on an earlier MM III wall belonging to the time of the house’s construction, which in turn rests upon a MM II level. In the final LM IB phase of the room’s use, a long stone bench, measuring ca. 3.54 x 0.22–0.42 x 0.40 m, ran against the east wall of the room (Fig. 10; Pl. 8B). It sat on the collapse debris of the earlier LM IA floor. A comparatively large quantity of cooking ware lay on the floor in front of the bench and in the deposit that accumulated in the room during this period. This pottery includes a number of a fragmentary tripod cooking pots and cooking dishes or trays, three of which were inventoried (P 4250, P 4330, P 4333). Other vessels that would have been useful in food preparation include a scored basin (IVB.1122), and a strainer (IVB.1318). No remains of a cooking fire were noted, however, and although there were scattered bits of charcoal

in the floor deposit and some cooking ware was burned, there was no direct evidence that the room was used for cooking. Unlike the rooms to its west, 2.1 and 2.2, Room 2.3 had no floor above it, so a hearth might have been located here with smoke escaping through the roof, but none was noted. The room may have been used differently in the earlier LM IA period. There were two LM IA floors, one belonging to the ground floor level, which may have been paved with schist slabs, and the other at the basement level, which was paved and plastered with as many as three different layers (IVA.1229, IVA 1230 [Pl 36, Pl 37]). A considerable amount of cooking ware lay on the upper of these, much of it burned, including five tripod cooking pots (IVB.1547, IVB.1557–IVB.1559, IVB.1580 [P 4391, P 4286, P 4295, P 4338, P 7606]), five cooking bowls (IVB.1005–IVB.1009 [P 4293, P 4347, P 4356, P 4401, P 4710]), a scoop (IVB.1074 [P 4271]), and several cooking dishes and trays. A smaller number of cooking vessels lay in the lower LM IA floor, including a cooking bowl (IVB.1010 [P 7575]) and cooking trays or dishes (IVB.1634 [P 4466], P 4292, P 4464, P 4465). Scattered bits of charcoal lay in both floor remains, but no hearth was identified in either. Of course, no hearth would have survived in the LM IA collapse, and it is possible that this room was used as a kitchen in the LM IA period. Less evidence was preserved from the original MM III floor deposit, but it also contained cooking vessels. Mammal remains in the room include sheep/goat and pig bones, many of which had been cut and burned. Unfortunately, the bones from one locus that spanned the whole Neopalatial Period of Room 2.3’s use, as well as the MM II deposit beneath (Locus 5905.1–11), were inadvertently combined without being itemized pail-by-pail, and thus they are included as a single group with the collapse deposit at the beginning of the following list. Only the radius of one ovicaprid was separately itemized from the upper LM IB floor, and it also was cut down its entire length. Remains of marine invertebrates also lay in the LM IB floor deposit with barley and various legumes, including bitter vetch, lentils, and peas. There were also a relatively large number of fish remains, as well as edible marine invertebrates, found in the collapse above the floor, which were probably associated with the room in its final phase. People were clearly eating here in the LM IB period and probably using the bench along the east side of

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT

the room for this purpose, but the kitchen had been relocated by this time to Room 1.6 outside the main building, probably for good reason after the LM IA destruction. An unfinished lentoid seal of serpentine (IVA.327 [S 34]; see Fig. 129 and Pl. 93, below), with partially cut string holes and no trace of engraving, was found on the LM IB floor in front of the bench and suggests another activity.

Room 2.3, Collapse Deposit (E3 5905.1, 59/ 6919.1) POTTERY

In addition to six cataloged and seven inventoried vessels, 517 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 14 kg, were counted in this deposit. The deposit is LM IB with some earlier Neopalatial material. Storage vessels make up 24% of the sherds by weight, cooking vessels 7%, and dining vessels 4%. There are 15 sherds made of granodiorite fabric. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Lid (A): P 4305 (5905.1) Pithos, Gournia import: IVB.1398 (P 7130/SM 13816; 5905.1) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Straight-sided cup: P 8105 (5905.1) Flared rim bowl: IVB.972 (P 8106; 5905.1) Horizontal-handled bowl: IVB.959 (P 4337; 5905.1) In-and-out bowl: IVB.985 (P 8107; 5905.1) Kalathos with impressed circles on vessel floor: P 4339 (5905.1) Pyxis: P 4266 (5905.1) Decorated coarse jar with bands: P 4349 (5905.1) Cooking dish: P 4273 (5905.1) Cooking tray: IVB.1643 (P 4289; 5905.1) Tripod cooking tray: IVB.1668 (P 4300; 5905.1) Closed decorated vessel with foliate band: P 8104 (5905.1) Pottery earlier than the building: Jar (EM II): P 4301 (5905.1) Bowl (MM I): P 4317 (5905.1) Tripod cup (MM II): P 4326 (5905.1)

CERAMIC

3 drains: IVA.366–IVA.368 (C 633, C 1290, C 1330; 5905.1)

STONE

Bird’s nest bowl: IVA.591 (S 65; 5905.1) Biconically perforated weight: GS 1157 (5905.1) Balance weight: IVA.1040 (GS 1485; 5905.1) Obsidian blade: CS 979.2 (59/6919.1) 3 obsidian chips: CS 979.3, CS 979.4 (59/6919.1); CS 1464.1 (5905.1) 2 obsidian flakes: CS 979.1 (59/6919.1); CS 1464.2 (5905.1)

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 27; NONID 89)

1 pelvis, 1 tibia, and 1 astragalus of goat; 2 tibiae and 1 first phalanx of sheep; 4 humeri, 3 radii, 2 metacarpals, 2 femora, 1 tibia, 1 metatarsal, 1

29

metapodial, 2 mandibular, and 2 maxillary teeth of ovicaprid; 2 maxillary teeth of pig; 27 long bone and 12 rib fragments of medium-sized mammal; 50 nonidentifiable bone splinters (5905.1–11); 1 third phalanx of ovicaprid (59/6919.1) MICROFAUNA (NISP 10)

Muridae: 1 calcaneus, 1 proximal ulna, 1 distal radius, 1 lower incisor, 1 metapodial; Mus sp.: 1 M1, 1 L maxilla-M123, 1 L mandible-m12; Crocidura sp.: 1 mandible-m12, 1 lower incisor, 1 p4 (5905.1; 59/6919.1)

BIRD BONES (NISP 2)

1 humerus and 1 tarsometatarsus of Passeriformes (5905.1)

FISH BONES (NISP 4; NONID 5)

1 molar of sea bream (Sparidae), 1 anterior thoracic vertebra of picarel/sea bream (Centracanthidae/ Sparidae) (59/6919.1); 1 anterior thoracic vertebra of an indeterminate fish of medium size (15– 25 cm), 1 otolith of sea bream (Sparidae), 1 spine of an indeterminate large fish (25–50 cm), and 4 spines of a medium fish (15–25 cm) (5905.1)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (36 MNI)

14 Patella sp., 1 Monodonta sp., 3 Hexaplex trunculus, 6 Charonia sp. fragments, 1 Bittium sp., sea urchin spine (5905.1); 3 Patella sp., 1 Monodonta sp., 3 Hexaplex trunculus, 1 Columbella rustica, 1 Bittium sp., sea urchin fragments (59/6919.1)

BOTANICAL REMAINS

0/1 Olea europaea (59/6919.1)

WOOD

1 conifer, 1 nonidentifiable (5905.1); 1 conifer (59/ 6919.1)

Room 2.3, LM IB Floor (E3 5905.2–3, 59/ 6919.2–3) POTTERY

In addition to eight cataloged and nine inventoried vessels, 630 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 6.2 kg, were counted from this deposit. The pottery is LM IB with some earlier MM III pottery. Dining vessels make up approximately 6.7% of the sherds by weight, storage vessels 5.9%, and cooking vessels 1.4%. Shapes include fragments of conical, ogival, and rounded cups, large decorated conical cups, scored basins, amphorae, pithoi, and tripod cooking pots. There are also 22 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: 4 conical cups (A): IVB.11–IVB.14 (P 349, P 4380, P 4388, P 4399; 5905.2–3) Large decorated conical cup: P 4327 (5905.3) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Large decorated conical cup: IVB.529 (P 4248) Rounded cup (B): IVB.813 (P 4378; 5905.3) Straight-sided cup: P 4346 (5905.2) Basin: IVB.1122 (P 4278; 5905.2) Strainer: IVB.1318 (P 4285; 5905.2) Kalathos, interior with red slip: P 4291 (5905.2)

30

JEFFREY S. SOLES

Jar: P 5684 (5905.2) Lid: P 4247 (5905.3) Cooking tray: P 4330 (5905.2) 2 cooking dishes: P 4250 (5905.2), P 4333 (5905.3) Closed decorated vessel with spiral: P 4353 (5905.2) CERAMIC

Work slab: C 631 (5905.3) Drain: IVA.374 (C 632; 5905.2)

STONE

Seal: IVA.327 (S 34; 5905.3) Bucket jar: IVA.605 (S 332; 59/6919.2) Obsidian blade: IVA.900 (CS 1465; 5905.3)

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 1; NONID 3)

1 radius of ovicaprid (cut down length), 3 long bone fragments of medium-sized mammals (59/6919.2)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (16 MNI)

6 Patella sp., 1 Monodonta sp., 1 Hexaplex trunculus (5905.2); 6 Patella sp., 1 Hexaplex trunculus (59/ 6919.2); 1 Patella sp. (59/6919.3)

BOTANICAL REMAINS

Hordeum cf. vulgare 0/4, Vicia cf. ervilia 0/3, Lens culinaris 0/2, Pisum sativum 1/3, Lathyrus sativus 1/3 (59/6919.2–3)

Room 2.3, Collapse of Upper LM IA Floor (E3 5905.4–5, 59/6919.4, 59/6920) POTTERY

In addition to 27 cataloged and 18 inventoried vessels, 958 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 15.4 kg, were counted in this deposit. The pottery is mostly LM IA with some earlier MM III and later LM IB pottery, including fragments of a piriform jar with an incised lily (IVB.1276). Storage vessels make up approximately 13% of the sherds by weight, dining vessels 6%, and cooking vessels 2%. There are 30 sherds of granodiorite fabric, a small number of EM sherds, and four Protopalatial vessels that were also inventoried. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: 3 conical cups (A): P 4311, P 4341, P 4343 (5905.5) 2 conical cups (B): IVB.445 (P 346; 5905.4–5); IVB.446 (P 495; 5905.4) Large decorated conical cup: IVB.531 (P 4298; 5905.4) Conical cup lamp (B): IVB.447 (P 4379) 2 rounded cups (A): IVB.762 (P 731; 5905.5); IVB.763 (P 4400; 5905.4) Tripod bowl: P 4314 (5905.5) Cooking bowl: IVB.1008 (P 4401; 5905.5) Bridge-spouted jar: IVB.1228 (P 7563; 5905.4) Strainer (LM IB?): IVB.1319 (P 915) Juglet: IVB.1738 (P 4385) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: 2 conical cup lamps (A): P 4261, P 4315 (5905.4) Conical cup (B): IVB.444 (P 4253; 5905.3–5) Large decorated conical cup: IVB.530 (P 4268) 2 rounded cups: IVB.814 (P 4411), P 4308 (5905.5) Decorated bell cup: IVB.864 (P 4281; 5905.4)

In-and-out bowl: IVB.986 (P 649) 4 cooking bowls: IVB.1005–IVB.1007, IVB.1009 (P 4293, P 4347, P 4356, P 4710; 5905.5) Scoop: IVB.1074 (P 4271) Jug: IVB.1205 (P 4395) Jug decorated with floral motif: P 4270 (5905.5) Lid (E): P 4313 (5905.5) Piriform jar with incised lily: IVB.1276 (P 4392; 5905.5) Decorated jar, possible import from East Crete: P 7331 (5905.4) Jar or amphora: P 7605 (5905.5) 5 tripod cooking pots: IVB.1547, IVB.1557– IVB.1559, IVB.1580 (P 4391, P 4286, P 4295, P 4338, P 7606; 5905.5) 2 cooking trays: P 4264, P 4496 (5905.4) 2 cooking dishes: P 4296 (5905.5); P 4355 (5905.4) 2 closed decorated vessels: P 4277 (5905.5); P 4354 (59/6920) Closed decorated vessel with a row of dots and floral motif: P 4246 (59/6920) Pottery earlier than building Tumbler (MM II): P 4389 (5905.4) Tripod cup (MM II): P 365 (5905.4) Cup (MM II): P 7609 (5905.5) Jar (MM II): P 7608 (5905.5) CERAMIC

Work slab: IVA.521 (C 1293; 5905.4) Loomweight: IVA.716 (C 33; 5905.4)

STONE

3 obsidian cores: IVA.869 (CS 980; 59/6920); IVA.877 (CS 1466.1; 5905.5); CS 1663 (5905.4)

MICROFAUNA (NISP 6)

Muridae: 3 lower incisors, 1 proximal humerus, 1 distal tibia, 1 pelvis (5905.5)

FISH BONES (NISP 1; NONID 5)

1 caudal vertebra of sea bream (Sparidae), 5 spines of a medium fish (15–25 cm) (5905.5)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (22 MNI)

2 Hexaplex trunculus, 2 Charonia sp. fragments, 1 Euthria cornea, 1 waterworn shell (cf. Cerithium sp.), 1 Phalium sp. (5905.4); 2 Patella sp., 1 Gibbula sp., 1 Muricidae sp., 6 Hexaplex trunculus, 3 Charonia sp. fragments, 1 Buccinulum sp., sea urchin fragments (5905.5)

WOOD

3 nutshell (5905.5)

Room 2.3, Lower LM IA Floor (Deposit 4, E3 5905.6) POTTERY

In addition to 16 cataloged and five inventoried vessels, 421 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 7.7 kg, were counted in this deposit. The pottery is LM IA with only one earlier vessel. Dining vessels make up approximately 5.4% of the sherds by weight and storage vessels 5.1%. There are no cooking vessels in

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT

the sherd material. There are 21 sherds of granodiorite fabric. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Conical cup (A): IVB.15 (P 424) Conical cup (B): IVB.448 (P 4406) Large undecorated conical cup lamp: IVB.501 (P 4404) 3 large decorated conical cups: IVB.532–IVB.534 (P 4386, P 4403, P 4415; 5905.6) Shallow basin: IVB.1129 (P 107) 2 juglets: IVB.1739, IVB.1740 (P 4251, P 4396) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Rounded cup (A): IVB.764 (P 4397) Straight-sided cup: IVB.609 (P 4249) Large decorated conical cup: IVB.535 (P 5512) Cooking bowl: IVB.1010 (P 7575) Piriform jar with incised lily: IVB.1269 (P 4283) Jar: P 4340 Jug, Gournia import: P 4310 Lid (E): IVB.1479 (P 519) Cooking tray: P 4292 3 cooking dishes: IVB.1634 (P 4466), P 4464, P 4465 Pottery earlier than building Conical cup (MM II): P 4405 CERAMIC

Work slab: IVA.518 (C 634)

31

2 rounded cups (A): IVB.765 (P 648), IVB.766 (P 4402; 5905.7) Miniature cup: IVB.1733 (P 4325; 5905.7) Straight-sided cup: IVB.610 (P 4416; 5905.7) Oval-mouthed amphoriskos (MM II/IIIA): IVB.1392 (P 756; 5905.9) 3 juglets: IVB.1741, IVB.1742 (P 430, P 4276; 5905.9); IVB.1743 (P 4350; 5905.7) Pottery less than1/4 extant: Tripod bowl: IVB.1032 (P 4309; 5905.7) Cooking dish: P 4290 (5905.7) Pottery earlier than the building: Cooking tray (MM II): P 4408 (5905.7+5905.9+ 5905.10) CERAMIC

2 loomweights: IVA.718, IVA.730 (C 56, C 54; 5905.7)

STONE

Bird’s nest bowl: IVA.590 (S 52; 5905.7) Burnisher/applicator: IVA.1019 (GS 2657; 5905.7)

MICROFAUNA (NISP 2)

Muridae: 1 shaft, 1 lower incisor fragment (5905.7)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (7 MNI)

1 Patella sp., 2 Hexaplex trunculus, 1 Charonia sp. fragment, 1 Buccinulum sp., sea urchin spines, 1 crab claw (5905.7)

STONE

Differentially weathered cobble: GS 836 Obsidian blade: CS 1467.1 Obsidian flake: IVA.879 (CS 1467.2)

PLASTER

Painted plaster: IVA.1229, IVA.1230 (Pl 36, Pl 37)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (4 MNI)

1 Hexaplex sp., 2 Charonia sp. fragments, 1 Erosaria sp. The purple shell (Hexaplex trunculus) in this context is very large, while the trumpet shell (Charonia sp.) is a small one.

Room 2.3, MM III Floor 1 (Deposit 2, E3 5905.7–9) POTTERY

In addition to 12 cataloged and four inventoried vessels, 279 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 4 kg, were counted in this deposit. The pottery is mostly MM III with a little LM IA pottery in the upper pail and MM II in the lower pail, material that belongs to the deposits immediately above and below. Dining vessels make up 11.6% of the sherds by weight, storage vessels 7%, and cooking vessels 4.9%. There are also 18 sherds of granodiorite fabric and 31 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Conical cup (A): IVB.16 (P 4382; 5905.7) 3 conical cups (B): IVB.449, IVB.450 (P 614, P 4377), P 646 (5905.7) 2 large decorated conical cups: P 4416, P 8103 (5905.7)

Auxiliary Staircase Stratigraphy A rectangular space along the south side of Room 2.2 formed part of an auxiliary staircase in the middle of the house (Figs. 4, 8, 14; Pls. 13A, 14A). The west facade of the Mycenaean House B also crossed this space, so that part of it lay beneath the front yard of the LM III house and part beneath the floor in the southwest corner of the house. The south wall of House B was bedded on top of the south wall of this space (Soles and Brogan 2008, fig. 29). As a result, no upper story collapse was preserved here, and LM III material lay directly on top of LM IB surfaces. A floor surface was found only at the western end of the space, where a stone lamp (IVA.466) was still sitting in situ (Pl. 7D). It lay slightly below the tops of the surrounding walls at an elevation of +6.95–6.83 in a brown (7.5YR 5/4) soil that was mixed with plaster, pieces of pumice, small stones, and carbon (Locus 5815.1). The soil beneath was excavated in seven additional passes to a depth of +5.92 without reaching bedrock (5815.2–8). It contained many small to medium-sized stones, which were concentrated in the eastern half of the area, as well as carbon. At a depth of +6.32 quantities of

32

JEFFREY S. SOLES

crushed phyllite appeared in the soil, and its color changed to a strong brown (7.5YR 4/6). It contained a large amount of earlier LM I pottery that was associated with the Phase 2 house and its collapse, which was reused as fill to support the new Phase 3 staircase and landing that were located here.

Architecture and Finds The auxiliary staircase was designed to provide access to the basement rooms on its south and to the upper floor level on its north. Like the main staircase of the house, it was constructed of three parallel walls that created two cages for the different flights of steps (Figs. 4, 8). The midsection of the main east– west wall that ran through the house served as the central spine wall of the staircase. The south wall of Room 2.2 ran along its north side the entire length of the staircase, and the upper flight of steps rose between this wall and the central spine of the staircase. A shorter wall was placed to the south of the central spine between two basement walls that projected from it at right angles on the basement floor and supported the lower flight of steps. All these walls rested on bedrock and rose entirely in stone to the ground floor level. The two northern walls are preserved to a height of ca. 2.20 m and probably rose in stone to the upper story level. The southern wall rose only the height of the basement story, and it is preserved to a height of ca. 0.90 m. It leaves space at its east end, where it terminates in an ashlar block, for a landing where the lower flight of steps turns at a right angle, creating an L-shaped staircase. Five stone steps are still preserved resting on soil fill, two running north–south above the landing and three running east–west below the landing, the bottommost of which was topped with two large, unfired mudbricks (Pls. 13A, 14A).

Auxiliary Staircase, Ground Floor Landing (E3 5815.1) POTTERY

In addition to one cataloged vessel, 256 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 2.4 kg, were counted in this deposit. The deposit is LM IB with only one earlier sherd. Dining vessels make up approximately 9.6% of the pottery count and storage vessels 2%. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Tripod bowl with interior handle: IVB.1033 (P 4071)

STONE

Stand lamp: IVA.466 (S 130) Obsidian blade: IVA.905 (CS 895)

MARINE INVERTEBRATES (42 MNI)

24 Patella sp., 6 Hexaplex trunculus, 4 Monodonta sp., 1 Charonia sp. fragment, 1 Barbatia barbata, 1 Cardium sp., 1 Luria lurida, 1 Buccinulum corneum, 1 Pisania sp., 1 Cerithium sp., 1 beach-worn shell fragment (Charonia sp.)

BOTANICAL REMAINS

Prunus amygdalus 0/3, Hordeum sp. 0/4, Lens culinaris 0/4

Auxiliary Staircase, Fill beneath Staircase and Landing (5815.2–8) POTTERY

In addition to five cataloged and two inventoried vessels, 1,404 sherds, weighing 22 kg, were counted in this deposit. The pottery includes much LM IA material as well as some Protopalatial. The LM IA pottery includes a wide variety of shapes: fragments of type B conical cups, including one with painted decoration, interior monochrome cups, early rounded cups, decorated straight-sided cups, and a decorated hole-mouth jar. There are also numerous fragments of storage vessels, including scored basins and pithoi, and cooking vessels. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Conical cup (A): P 4070 (5815.8) Lid (C): IVB.1464 (P 4074; 5815.8) Lid (F): IVB.1506 (P 4072; 5815.8) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: Scoop with barbotine shell: IVB.1095 (P 858; 5815.6) Lid (A): IVB.1454 (P 4372; 5815.7) Tripod cooking tray: IVB.1667 (P 4373; 5815.7) Small jar with tripod feet: P 4073 (5815.5)

CERAMIC

2 lamps: IVA.459, IVA.460 (C 168, C 604; 5815.8) Loomweight: IVA.719 (C 163; 5815.5)

STONE

2 handstones: IVA.1006, IVA.1011 (GS 808, GS 809; 5815.7) Burnisher: IVA.1020 (GS 803; 5815.3) Grinder: GS 804 (5815.3) Differentially weathered cobble: IVA.1023 (GS 833; 5815.3) Saddle quern: IVA.1027 (GS 603; 5815.5) Balance weight: IVA.1037 (GS 829; 5815.5) Obsidian core: CS 898 (5815.8) 4 obsidian flakes: IVA.940 (CS 896.1), CS 896.2, CS 896.3, CS 897 (5815.5)

MAMMAL BONES (19 MNI; NONID 6)

1 ulna, 1 tibia, 5 metatarsals, 1 carpal, 1 axis, 1 maxilla, 3 mandibular teeth, and 5 maxillary teeth of ovicaprid; 1 first phalanx of pig; 1 unfused vertebra and 5 ribs of medium-sized mammals (5815.2, 5–8)

WOOD

3 Olea europaea, 1 Prunus amygdalus/P. spinosa, 1 deciduous Quercus sp., 5 evergreen Quercus sp. (5815.4–8)

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT

Rooms 2.4 and 2.5 Each of the three rooms located on the basement level along the south side of the house preserved good evidence for upper floor collapse belonging to ground floor rooms that lay at the same level as Rooms 2.1 and 2.2. It is unclear whether there were two or three. There was certainly one located above Room 1.3 at the southwest corner of the house, Room 2.4, which would have measured ca. 3.35 x 4.10 m, the same size as the room below, and one has also been restored above Rooms 1.1 and 1.2 at the southeast corner, Room 2.5, which would have measured ca. 3.65 x 4.80 m (Fig. 12). This room would have been the largest in the house and a column should have stood in the center of the room, supported by the stone wall separating Rooms 1.1 and 1.2 below, although no base for such a column survived. The wall that separated Rooms 2.4 and 2.5 on the upper floor may have been mudbrick, but the surrounding walls of these rooms are likely to have been made of stone, which would have been required to support the floor above and the roof. One doorway should be reconstructed leading from Room 2.1 into 2.4, either in the middle of its south wall (Figs. 8, 12) or at its southeast corner where the ground floor landing of the auxiliary staircase was located, which also led into the southwest corner of Room 2.2 and to the interior staircase that led to the floor above. Both rooms had plastered walls; those of Room 2.4 were painted red (IVA.1233, IVA.1234; Pl. 14D), those of Room 2.5 white. They would have been connected by at least one doorway. In Phase 4, both rooms were used for storage, and a relatively large number of storage vessels fell from these rooms into the rooms below (Pls. 11, 15A). These included four oval-mouthed amphorae (IVB.1356–IVB.1358, IVB.1376) and four pithoi (IVB.1401, IVB.1402, IVB.1444, P 811) that fell from Room 2.4 into Room 1.3, and a piriform jar (IVB.1270), a hole-mouthed jar (IVB.1285), and four more pithoi (IVB.1399, IVB.1400, IVB.1415, IVB.1416) that fell into the rear of Room 1.1 that must have been located in the northeast corner of Room 2.5 (Pls. 11, 15A, 15B). Several vessels were imported, including a hydria, probably from Zakros (IVB.1296), two closed vessels painted in marine style decoration from Knossos (IVB.1699, IVB.1700), and an amphora imported from off the island, perhaps the Cyclades (IVB.1376), all four

33

in Room 2.4, and an amphora from the southeast Aegean (IVB.1375) in Room 2.5. Some were half pithoi, cut at their waist and preserving only the upper half, so making it easier to reach inside for their contents. One of these (IVB.1402) was incised with a cargo ship on its shoulder (Pl. 11; Soles 2012). It may have been particularly appealing to the owner of the house, who had many shipping interests both as a recipient of overseas metal cargos and as a merchant in his own right. It could conceivably represent his own cargo ship. A relatively large collection of plant remains, including barley, wheat, olives, fig, almond, and lentils, fell with these pithoi, and they may represent what was being stored. Several animal remains, sheep/goat and edible shells, along with many conical and ogival cups, suggest that people also may have been eating and drinking in the rooms. Each room also appears to have accommodated a small household shrine. A large sandstone libation table, IVA.449 (S 88), fell from Room 2.4 (Pls. 14C, 14E), along with two fenestrated stands (IVA.563, IVA.564 [C 1244, C 1326]), all three of which are thought to have been focal points for religious rituals (Warren 1969, 65; Betancourt et al. 1983, 33). Two fireboxes, including a small fragment from the base of one, which was burned and no longer in use (P 11545), and a very large example that was slipped and burnished on its upper surface and apparently unused (IVB.1688) were designed to burn incense (Georgiou 1986, 9–10; Travis and Travis 2007). Other finds included a stone bowl (IVA.603 [S89]), two miniature vessels (IVB.1736, IVB.1773 [P 11571]) that may have been offerings, and numerous conical and ogival cups, at least six of which were used as lamps (IVB.36 [P 3814+P 3811]). Marine style pottery from Knossos (IVB.1699, IVB.1700 [P 3554, P 3927]) was also located in the room. A kernos (IVA.448 [S 898]), which lay on the steps of Room 1.2, had fallen from Room 2.5 (Pls. 13B, 13D), and a stemmed cup rhyton (IVB.1343 [P8153]), once used for libations, also fell from this room. Another miniature vessel (IVB.1772 [P 11465]) and stone jar (S 138) were located in the room. Both rooms had white plaster floors, which collapsed in places still intact (Fig. 14; Pl. 15A), and the walls of Room 2.4 were decorated with red plaster, a section of which surrounding a window or doorway survived in the collapse below (IVA.1233; Pls. 14D, 116:a).

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JEFFREY S. SOLES

Basement The three basement rooms (1.1–1.3) in the house were reached by the internal staircase in the center of the house, which led down to Room 1.2.

Room 1.2 Stratigraphy The southeastern part of Room 1.2 lay in Trench 4800 while the northern part lay in Trench 5800 (Fig. 14, Section E–E'). The same LM III corridor leading up to House Beta that ran over Room 1.1 continued over the central part of this room, and the same exterior LM III surface lay over the southern part of the room. Upper story collapse lay directly beneath the LM III level in a yellowishbrown soil (10 YR 5/4) in the northern part of the room, where a staircase led up to the ground floor at an elevation of +6.02–5.42 (Loci 5831, 5832, 5835.1–4), and in the southern part of the room at an elevation of +5.68–5.32 (Loci 4810, 4812.1–3, 5811.1–3). A concentration of white plaster was located in part of this collapse (Locus 4812.1–2). The floor deposit of the room lay beneath in a brown (7.5YR 5/4) soil at an elevation of + 5.33–4.92 (Loci 4812.4–6, 5811.4–6) and over the staircase in a light yellowish-brown (10 YR 6/4) soil at an elevation of + 5.71–4.97 (Loci 5834, 5835.5–6).

Architecture and Finds The room is a small rectangular room, measuring ca. 2.20 x 2.50 m, that was originally provided with a paved floor, only parts of which survived in its northwest corner (Fig. 15; Pls. 13A, 14A). Its south wall is the original south facade of the house, and its east and west wall are formed by the walls that flank the interior staircase. It was designed to provide access to the two rooms to its east and west, and few objects were placed here in order to keep the room as open as possible. An open doorway in the southeast corner of the room, ca. 1 m wide, led into Room 1.1, and a doorway in its southwest corner, also ca. 1 m wide, which was provided with a stone threshold and probably was closed with a wooden door, led into Room 1.3. Two pithoi (IVB.1417, IVB.1418 [P 127, P 139]) framed the southeast doorway (Fig. 15; Pl. 16) and another pithos (IVB.1419 [P 1206]) and a side-spouted

jar (IVB.1251 [P 845]; Pl. 13E) sat against the north wall of the room at the base of the staircase (Pls. 13B, 13C). The contents of IVB.1417 and IVB.1418 were floated; both contained almond remains, and IVB.1418 also contained remains of lentils and grapes.

Upper Floor Collapse from Room 2.5 above Room 1.2 (E3 4812.1–3, 5811.1–3, 5831, 5832, 5835.1–4) POTTERY

In addition to four cataloged and 22 inventoried vessels, 3,780 Neopalatial sherds, weighing 30.5 kg, were counted in this deposit. The pottery is LM IB with a very small amount of earlier material, mostly Protopalatial but some Prepalatial. Storage vessels make up 17.7% of the sherds by weight, dining vessels 6.9%, and cooking vessels 4.2%. There are 138 sherds of granodiorite fabric and 105 EM and Protopalatial sherds. Pottery 1/4 extant or more: Alabastron: IVB.1137 (P 11466+P 11482; 4810+ 5835.2–3) Pottery less than 1/4 extant: 3 conical cups (A): P 11518, P 11522, P 11531 (5835.4) 4 conical cups (B): P 11487, P 11516, P 11521B, P 11524 (5831) 4 large decorated conical cups: P 11528, P 11533 (5835.4); P 11490 (5831); P 11526 (5835.2) Undecorated bell cup: P 11523 (5835.4) Decorated cup: P 11485 (4812.2) Flaring rim bowl: P 11525 (5831) 2 cooking bowls: P 11486, P 11488 (5831) Oval-mouthed amphora, Cretan import: IVB.1355 (P 11489; 5831) Piriform jar with incised lily: IVB.1270 (P 851; 5831) Strainer: P 11512 (5835.2) Tripod cooking cup: IVB.1592 (P 11493; 5831) 2 cooking trays: P 4131 (4810); P 11491 (5831) Cooking dish: P 11492 (5831) Closed decorated vessel with conglomerate motif, possible import from East Crete: P 11517 (5825.4) Miniature bowl: P 3663 (5731.1)

STONE

Kernos: IVA.448 (S 898; 5835.4) Lid: IVA.582 (S 293; 4812.3) Burnisher: IVA.1018 (GS 795; 5835.3) 3 obsidian blades: IVA.913 (CS 1422; 4812.1); CS 806 (5832.1); CS 810 (5835.3); 3 obsidian flakes: IVA.889 (CS 1423; 4812.1); CS 621 (5811.3); CS 808 (5835.1)

HOUSE C.3: THE HOUSE OF THE METAL MERCHANT CERAMIC

Stand: IVA.565 (C 1327; 5811.1) Loomweight: IVA.708 (C 86; 5811.2)

MODIFIED BONE

2 awls: IVA.668, IVA.669 (B 17, B 41; 5835.2)

MAMMAL BONES (NISP 9; NONID 54)

1 humerus of goat; 1 radius and 1 mandibular tooth of ovicaprid; 1 humerus of medium-sized mammal; 6 long bone, 1 rib, and 5 nonidentifiable bone fragments of medium-sized mammal (5831.1–2); 1 scapula of sheep; 1 first phalanx of goat; 1 humerus, 1 tibia, and 1 calcaneus of ovicaprid; 13 long bone, 1 vertebra, and 2 flat bone fragments of medium-sized mammal; 25 nonidentifiable bone splinters of small size ( “Seals” should be selected. From here a wide range

SEALS AND CLAY SEALING

of search fields is available, covering findspots, materials, motifs, and stylistic classification, the use of which will permit a search for further comparanda not listed individually below. The following catalog, like those in the other chapters, presents finds in the order of the houses or contexts as described in Chapters 1 and 2, beginning with House C.3. Descriptions of the seal motifs follow the impression and not the original. All measurements are in centimeters.

House C.3 IVA.322 (S 234; Room 1.6, E3 4722.1; Fig. 129; Pl. 92). Amygdaloid, with gently rounded reverse; pierced horizontally. Jasper, dark forest green. Part of seal face broken away at left string hole; stone fractured; some encrustation. L. 1.8, w. 1.2, th. 0.6; d. string holes 0.2 cm. Octopus rendered in the MM III–LM I talismanic style. The body is indicated by a solid dot with superimposed circle for the eye, made by a tubular drill; a short triangular cut above and three smaller cuts below. Above two pairs of tentacles: S-spirals created by the tubular drill set at an angle. A straight vertical line at the preserved end; a small border clump at lower edge. Roughly 15% of talismanic seals are made of hard green opaque stones, including green jasper; many depict marine creatures (e.g. crabs, octopods, sepias). Among octopods, hard green stones account for over 50% of examples. The stone used for IVA.322 is a true jasper, confirmed by conchoidal fracturing (Krzyszkowska 2010b, 253–254). Octopods appear on only about two dozen talismanic seals. The depiction on IVA.322 is simple, with only two pairs of tentacles and virtually no filling ornaments. Cf. CMS II.3, no. 263 (Mochlos) and no. 368; CMS VII, no. 78 (photo upside down). See also Onassoglou 1985, 68– 74, pl. LX. For the style see Krzyszkowska 2005, 133–137. IVA.323 (S 224, SM 9949; Room 1.7, E3 4719.4; Fig. 129; Pl. 92). Lentoid, biconvex; pierced horizontally. Serpentine, dark gray to black with lighter patches. Slightly battered and abraded. D. 1.42–1.45, th. 0.75; d. string holes 0.25 cm. A pair of fish arranged tête-bêche; between them two pairs of parallel lines. MM III–LM I talismanic style. Bibl.: CMS V, Suppl. 3, no. 348. The use of serpentine and other soft stones for talismanic seals is relatively rare, for example, CMS II.3, no. 71 (Knossos) with a pair of flying fish. See also IVA.331 (serpentine cushion with talismanic goat). Fish and flying fish are among the most popular motifs in the talismanic style, accounting for ca. 15% of the repertoire. Examples from Mochlos are CMS II.3, no. 262; CMS V, no. 26; IVA.335 face B. Comparanda for pairs, arranged tête-bêche, include CMS I, no. 456; CMS I, Suppl., no. 121; CMS II.3, no. 71; CMS III, nos. 332, 333; CMS V, no. 26 (Mochlos); CMS V, Suppl. 3, nos. 328, 388; CMS IX, no. 60; CMS XI, no. 277; CMS XII, no. 185a; CMS XIII,

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no. 100. See also Onassoglou 1985, 154–163, pl. LX. For the style, see Krzyszkowska 2005, 133–137. IVA.324 (S 219, SM 9950; Room 1.7, E3 4719.1; Fig. 129; Pl. 92). Elongated amygdaloid, with concave faceted reverse; pierced horizontally. Jasper, dark olive green. Condition excellent. L. 1.87, w. 0.76, th. 0.55; d. string holes 0.20 cm. Recumbent griffin in left profile, with both wings displayed either side of its prominent neck; the eye is indicated by a solid dot; solid dots decorate the wings; feathers are indicated with rather broad cuts. The hindquarters and forelegs are treated in summary fashion. Close to the LM I–II Cut Style. Bibl.: CMS V, Suppl. 3, no. 349. About 15% of hard stone amygdaloids are furnished with faceted backs; virtually all are datable stylistically to LB I–II (cf. here IVA.325). Elongated examples (where width is less than one-half of length) are rare; see CMS VI, nos. 318, 319, 345; CMS XIII, nos. 22, 23. Griffins are relatively common in the Cut Style, with ca. 35 examples. Sometimes the creature is depicted in profile with a single wing displayed (e.g., CMS III, no. 508a), sometimes mixing profile body, neck, and head with both wings outstretched, as on IVA.324; see also CMS V, no. 590; CMS V, Suppl. 1A, no. 203; CMS VII, nos. 93, 135; CMS IX, nos. 105, D022; CMS X, nos. 267, 277. Cut Style griffins often have eyes and wing markings rendered with tubular drills; the use of solid-bit drills as on IVA.324 also appears on CMS III, no. 508a; CMS IX, no. 104; cf. also CMS XII, no. 219 (Cut Style bird). For the style see Pini 2000 (with lists); Krzyszkowska 2005, 147 n. 90, 201–203, 248–250. IVA.325 (S 223, SM 9946; Room 1.7, E3 4718.1; Fig. 129; Pl. 92). Amygdaloid, with concave faceted reverse; pierced horizontally. Carnelian, translucent pale yellowish orange with dark blood-red patches. Condition good. L. 2.50, w. 1.54, th. 0.89; d. string holes 0.20 cm. Running bull with strongly upturned head and open mouth, as if bellowing in pain (a forked line over its back may indicate an arrow); legs are indicated in summary fashion. The horns curve over the animal’s back; above its hindquarters is a plant motif. LM I–II Cut Style. Bibl.: CMS V, Suppl. 3, no. 350. Bovines are rare in the Cut Style, with barely half a dozen examples; none provides a close parallel for the powerful treatment of the animal on IVA.325, but cf. CMS I, no. 55; CMS V, no. 191b; CMS V, Suppl. 3, no. 69. For the style see Pini 2000 (with lists); Krzyszkowska 2005, 147 n. 90, 201–203, 248–250. IVA.326 (S 423; Room 2.2, LM IA collapse, E3 58/ 6822.3; Fig. 129; Pl. 92). Cushion, pierced horizontally. Medium-hard stone (Mohs 4–5), dark grayish green with coarser inclusions, light gray and beige in color; gray in engraving. Probably serpentine. One corner chipped, otherwise complete. Fresh tool marks on seal face and ends. L. 1.65, w. 1.20, th. 0.60; d. string holes 0.20 cm. A lion, crouching or running to the right, head regardant. The mouth is open, lower jaw drooping, muzzle indicated by solid dots; a dot in circle for the eye. The

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OLGA KRZYSZKOWSKA

ear is a neat semicircle set just behind the eye. From beneath a curving line on the neck, the mane is shown by short irregular vertical strokes; strokes also appear along its outer edge. Anatomical parts relatively well integrated, though modeling is limited; a sense of movement is created by the strongly curved back. The tail is shown as a C-spiral, terminating in a solid dot. Two serpentine lentoids from Seager’s excavations depicting lions (CMS II.4, nos. 206, 207) lack any provenance and are difficult to date. This seal is a fine example of Late Minoan naturalistic engraving, assignable in broad terms to the “Line-Jawed Lions” of the Cretan Popular Group (Younger 1983, 117– 119, but cf. Pini 1995, 201–202 and Krzyszkowska 2005, 327). No precise parallels for IVA.326 exist; among examples in soft or medium stone there is much diversity in pose and how details are rendered, cf. HM 2772 (Unexplored Mansion) and HM 2123 (Royal Road), both from secure LM IA contexts (Pini 1995, 200, fig. 6:a, b, the Royal Road example wrongly dated LM IB). Somewhat closer in concept to IVA.326 are CMS II.3, nos. 18, 19 (Knossos House of Frescoes) and CMS II.7, no. 70 (Zakros House A). Contemporary examples in hard stone include CMS I, no. 244 (Vapheio floor cist) and no. 272a (Pylos Routsi). Cf. also the gold cushion from Shaft Grave III, showing a wounded lion, regardant, in rocky landscape: CMS I, no. 10. IVA.327 (S 34; Room 2.3, E3 5905.3; Fig. 129; Pl. 93). Lentoid. Serpentine; dark greenish gray to black with some lighter patches. Surface slightly battered but otherwise intact. D. 1.1–1.2, th. 0.8 cm. Unfinished. One string hole drilled to depth of ca. 0.5 cm; second string hole marked but drilling does not penetrate within. Tool marks across upper surface; edges uneven requiring final polish; unengraved. For unfinished seals from the “Lapidary’s Workshop” at Knossos, see Evans 1921–1935, IV, 594–595, fig. 589; Younger 1979. Unpublished examples from the Royal Road, Knossos: RRN 61/016, 61/112.

Plateia A IVA.328 (S 4A, SM 9005; F3 10012.1; Fig. 129; Pl. 93). Rectangular bar, pierced longitudinally. Brownish-black steatite with yellow patches. Edges battered, surfaces slightly abraded; coated with modern lacquer. L. 1.84, w. 0.94, th. 0.68; d. string holes 0.28 cm. Narrow face A depicts a ship with upraised bow, mast, and a pair of stays that do not meet. A slightly curved line above the bow may indicate a decorated prow; a vertical line at the stern may be part of a steering oar. Beneath the ship are six paddles/oars; in the field a dot. Broad face B has several small dots, perhaps for placement of a motif. Narrow face C shows traces of irregular lines. Broad face D has no engraving discernible. Bibl.: Soles and Davaras 1992, 439, pl. 101:b; CMS V, Suppl. 1B, no. 333. Rectangular bars are readily datable to MM II on stylistic grounds, occurring in both soft and hard stone.

Soft stone bars may be engraved on all four faces, for example, CMS II.2, nos. 270, 271 (“Ierapetra”); CMS V, Suppl. 1B, no. 337 (Palaikastro Building 1); also CMS VI, nos. 24, 25 (“Malia”). Some are engraved only on the two broad faces: CMS II.2, no. 240 (“Malia”); CMS III, nos. 63, 64 (“Malia”). Hard stone examples are invariably decorated only on the two broad faces: CMS II.2, nos. 284, 286; CMS III, no. 65; CMS IV, no. 134; CMS VI, no. 107; CMS X, no. 50 (now Getty Museum 2001.14.32); CMS XII, no. 114; and SM 13513 (PTSK.05.ME.261 from Petras; Krzyszkowska 2012a, 153–154, fig. 8). For sailing ships on three-sided prisms of steatite, see Anastasiadou 2011, 235–237, pls. 58–60, motif 134, “Ship.” Parallels for the oars/paddles include CMS II.2, no. 261b (Palaikastro) and no. 276b (“Adromyli”); CMS VI, no. 32a (“Malia”); CMS XI, no. 144a; CMS XIII, no. 90a. The masted sailing ship with raised prow and oars also occurs as sign 040 in Cretan Hieroglyphic, attested on both clay documents and seals, including CMS II.2, no. 249 from Mochlos Tomb III. For list of examples, see Olivier and Godart 1996, 345. Middle Minoan II rectangular bars are not to be confused with LM III rectangular blocks, made of serpentine or schist, usually decorated with centered circles on four to six faces, as with CMS V, Suppl. 1B, no. 218. Both are confusingly termed “Quader” by the CMS.

House C.1 IVA.329 (C 1; Room 3, E3.909.2; Fig. 129; Pl. 93). Sealing fragment, clay. L. 3.6, w. 2.6, th. 1.2 cm. Underside broken, preserving no clear imprints of item sealed, but presumably a direct object sealing. Upper surface bears the partial impression of a bone/ivory seal with meander pattern. Bibl.: CMS V, Suppl. 3 no. 345. Early Minoan III/MM IA bone/ivory seals with meander patterns include CMS II.1, nos. 60, 65, 66, 130, 231, 314, 354; CMS IV, nos. 4, 5. See also the clay sealing stamped by a bone/ivory seal with meander or swastika motif from a Prepalatial context at Psathi, west of Chania: CMS V, Suppl. 3, no. 119; Hallager 2000, 97–99. Bone/ ivory seals decorated with meander patterns are also attested by impressed sealings at Knossos, but their precise context is unknown: CMS II.8, nos. 12, 14. Other Prepalatial sealings and/or seal impressed objects include CMS II.6, no. 239 (Palaikastro), no. 273 (Trypiti); CMS II.8, no. 6 (Knossos); CMS V, no. 20 (Myrtos Phournou Koriphi); CMS V, Suppl. 3, nos. 323–325 (Chamalevri). For Malia, see Krzyszkowska 2005, 78, n. 51.

House C.2 IVA.330 (S 4B, SM 9907; Room 1, E3 2853.2; Fig. 129; Pl. 93). Blank(?) for discoid. Dark purplish-red soft stone, serpentine (Mohs 3–4). Part of one face near circumference damaged; tool marks remain on both faces; no string hole. D. 2.0–2.1, th. 0.9 cm. Bibl.: Soles and Davaras 1992, 432, fig. 10; Krzyszkowska 2018, 8–10, pl. 4d.

SEALS AND CLAY SEALING

The stone is rare in Minoan glyptic, but a close parallel is now offered by the MM II four-sided prism with Hieroglyphic inscription from Vrysinas. In both cases an irregular network of dark purplish “veining” or mottling appears to run through the blood red stone; there are a few small bright yellowish-orange spots. Originally the Vrysinas prism was thought to be red jasper; later corrected to red serpentine (Hallager, Papadopoulou, and Tzachili 2011). A color image can be found in Krzyszkowska 2018, 9, pl. 4c. IVA.331 (S 5A, SM 9006; Room 1, E3 2853.2; Fig. 130; Pl. 93). Cushion, pierced vertically. Grayish-green to grayish-brown serpentine; light grayish green in the engraving. Edges slightly battered; negligible signs of wear; condition excellent. H. 1.83, w. 1.48, th. 0.52; d. string holes 0.27 cm. Wild goat standing in right profile; over its back a spear; beneath its belly a clump of stylized grasses; in front a lattice pattern. The solid drill is used to indicate the goat’s head, muzzle, chest, belly, and hindquarters; linear elements appear to be wheel cut. MM III–LM I talismanic style. Bibl.: Soles and Davaras 1992, 432, fig. 10, pl. 96:a; CMS V, Suppl. 1B, no. 334. The use of serpentine and other soft stones for talismanic seals is relatively rare; cf. IVA.323. Talismanic goats engraved in soft to medium-hard stones include CMS II.3, no. 259 (Mochlos); CMS II.4, no. 21; CMS IV, no. D054; CMS V, Suppl. 3, no. 354; CMS IX, no. 101; CMS X, no. 115. Cushions set in portrait format are rare but include several near-contemporary examples: CMS II.3, nos. 11, 16, 105a; CMS VI, nos. 180, 182, 183. Wild goats are not especially common in the talismanic style, with some 30 examples, mostly engraved on lentoids and amygdaloids; occasionally on cushions in landscape format: CMS II.3, no. 278; CMS IX, no. 102; CMS XII, no. 195. Most are depicted in a standing pose, a spear or dart in the back; bodies are formed by two or three solid dots, largely unerased. Clumps of grass in the field are typical of the talismanic style; filling ornaments based on lattice patterns are also common: CMS X, no. 113b. Further examples of talismanic goats from Mochlos are IV.333; CMS II.3, nos. 258, 259. See also Onassoglou 1985, 128–134, pls. XLVII–XLVIII. For the style, see Krzyszkowska 2005, 133–137. IVA.332 (S 15, SM 9944; Room 6, E3 3829.4; Fig. 130; Pl. 93). Lentoid, biconvex; pierced vertically. Carnelian, translucent orangish red, with a dark streak running through the stone. Condition excellent. D. 1.16–1.20, th. 0.55; d. string holes 0.15 cm. A wild goat with hairy back running to the left; above the animal’s back a spear; beneath a single ground line. LM I–II Cut Style. Bibl.: Soles and Davaras 1994, 399, fig. 5; CMS V, Suppl. 3, no. 346. Wild goats are relatively common in the Cut Style with ca. 40 examples. None is especially close to IVA.332, but cf. CMS I, nos. 143, 481, 482; CMS II.3, no. 342; CMS X, no. 251; CMS XI, no. 130. For the style, see Pini 2000 (with lists); Krzyszkowska 2005, 147 n. 90, 201–203, 248–250.

289

Street B along the South Facade of House C.6 IVA.333 (S 452; E3 69/78/7907; Fig. 130; Pl. 93). Amygdaloid, with gently rounded reverse; pierced horizontally. Carnelian, translucent pale yellowish orange, with some darker patches and fine dark veining on reverse. Slight chipping at left string hole; some fracturing on seal face (e.g., in body and rump of goat). L. 2.30, w. 1.80, th. 0.80; d. string holes 0.15 and 0.20 cm. Above a ground line a speared wild goat amid foliage in the MM III–LM I talismanic style. Body well modeled; heavy use of solid and tubular drills (for head, hoofs, along spear); fine lines along back indicate a shaggy, hairy hide. Lavish use of plant fillers; beneath the ground line a lattice pattern. Wild goats are not especially common in the talismanic style, with some 30 examples. Most are depicted in a standing pose, a spear or dart in the back; bodies are formed by two or three solid dots, largely unerased. The goat on IV.333 differs in pose (crouching or running), smooth modeling of the body, and, uniquely, the depiction of the hairy back (a feature of the Cut Style, see IVA.332). Ordinarily spears with dotted shafts are rendered with solid dots; here the tubular drill is used; also unusual is the application of the drill on the hoofs, joints, and with plant motif beneath the animal’s belly. Clumps of grass in the field and other plant fillers are typical of the talismanic style; for lattice pattern beneath ground line see CMS II.3, no. 238 (Mochlos). Examples of talismanic goats from Mochlos are IVA.331; CMS II.3, nos. 258, 259. See also Onassoglou 1985, 128–134, pls. XLVII–XLVIII. For the style, see Krzyszkowska 2005, 133–137.

Building C.10 IVA.334 (S 838; Unit 4, D4 517.4; Fig. 130; Pl. 94). Lentoid, with rather flat face; pierced vertically. Serpentine, very dark bluish black with light green inclusions; slightly soapy feel (Mohs 3). Engraving abraded (in animal’s body); edges slightly battered; lower string hole slightly worn. D. 1.80, th. 0.55; d. string holes 0.20 (upper), 0.22 cm (lower). Standing bull, regardant, with long sinuous horns curving over the head; eye and muzzle indicated by solid dots. Crudely engraved neck and hindquarters; long curving tail; back and belly largely abraded; sticklike legs terminating in solid dots. Above the animal’s back a spear; a row of six solid dots form a ground line. In broad terms this seal is assignable to the Cretan Popular Group (Younger 1983, 117–119, 123–124; but cf. Müller 1995, 160; Pini 1995, 201–202; Krzyszkowska 2005, 327). The standing bovine with back-turned head is virtually unknown in LM I seal engraving; possible examples, known through incomplete impressions, are CMS II.6, no. 52 (horns absent); CMS II.7, nos. 47, 58 (tails absent). The pose is better attested in LM IIIA:1–2, e.g., CMS II.4, nos. 4, 7; CMS II.8, no. 410 (hard stone),

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and is widespread in the Mainland Popular Group (e.g., CMS V, Suppl. 3, no. 49).

Building C.12 IVA.335 (S 789; Room 1, D4 2801.4; Fig. 130; Pl. 94). Three-sided prism with amygdaloid faces and ribbing along the spine between faces B and C. Carnelian, translucent blood red, fairly uniform but with some darker inclusions. Face A has slight encrustation in engraving; face B has impurity in engraving; lower part of seal face damaged and worn/worked smooth; damage at edge; face C displays slight damage to engraving. Crack on ribbed spine; string holes slightly chipped. L. 1.40, w. face A 1.00, w. face B 0.85, w. face C 0.85; d. string holes 0.10–0.15 cm. Face A portrays sailing ship with prow to the left; hull and deck indicated by gently curving horizontal lines; mast by a heavy vertical stroke, flanked by two verticals on the left and one on the right. The sail is formed by two horizontal lines, filled with lattice pattern. A pair of lines running diagonally from deck to mast/sail may represent fore and aft stays; short diagonal lines above the sail may indicate the halyards, though the mast is absent here. The prow is indicated by a forked element set diagonally at the left; a forked element set vertically at the right (stern) may be the upper part of a steering oar. Face B shows a fish to the right; body indicated by a slightly curving horizontal line; short diagonal lines either side indicate fins; head possibly indicated by solid drill, but stone is damaged at this point. Face C depicts a plump-bodied bird to the right, beak indicated by short stroke; along its back and beneath its body short lines (diagonal and vertical) indicate plumage. On the left a border clump formed of diagonal lines. From a solid dot at the top of the face extend two pairs of diagonal lines. MM III–LM I talismanic style. The three-sided prism with amygdaloid faces is a rare shape (ca. 40 examples) almost exclusively confined to the talismanic group. Those engraved on all three faces as with IVA.335 constitute a clear majority; an example from Mochlos is engraved on two faces: CMS II.3, no. 254. Examples with ladder-backed decoration as on IVA.335 are CMS II.3, nos. 153, 379; CMS III, no. 272; CMS V, no. 581; CMS VII, no. 91; CMS X, no. 107; CMS XII, no. 202. Face A. Sailing ships are rare in the MM III–LM I talismanic style; IVA.335 face A brings the number to 10 examples; Kajutenschiffe (“cabin-ships,” often highly stylized renderings of a cabin and part of the hull) are much more common, with ca. 45 examples (see Onassoglou 1985, 28–34; pls. XI–XIII). No precise parallels for IVA.335 face A (notable for its simplicity) exist, but most individual features are attested among comparanda. Unless otherwise indicated, all appear on amygdaloids: CMS II.3, no. 298; CMS III, no. 263; CMS VI, no. 256b

(three-sided prism amygdaloid faces); CMS VIII, no. 106 (lentoid); CMS X, nos. 100, 227; CMS XIII, no. 14. Also Whitley 2003, 75–76, fig. 126 (6th–7th century b.c. sanctuary at Vryokastro, Kythnos); Bertemes and HornungBertemes 2009, pls. 4.1, 4.2 (Tavşan Adası [Didyma] inv. no. 08TA-001 from level TA4, with MM III–LM IA imported pottery). Face B. Fish and flying fish are among the most popular motifs in the talismanic style, accounting for ca. 15% of the repertoire, but the representation on IVA.335 face B is virtually unparalleled, with the body here created by a single thin, slightly curving line. Closest is the fish on a three-sided prism with amygdaloid faces in New York: CMS XII, no. 182b. Other talismanic seals from Mochlos depicting fish are CMS II.3, no. 262; CMS V, no. 26; here IVA.323. See also Onassoglou 1985, 154– 163, pls. LVI–LXII. Face C. The bird depicted here is unusual, though in concept (if not in all details) it can be paralleled on CMS II.3, no. 155 and CMS XII, no. 189. By far the closest is the pair of birds (or waterbirds) on a three-sided prism with amygdaloid faces from Tomb XII at Mochlos: CMS II.3, no. 254b. But on CMS II.3, no. 254, a bird is shown frontally with both wings outstretched, as is normal in the Cut Style (contra Onassoglou 1985, 138–152, pls. L–LV, who regarded such depictions as talismanic). The boundaries between these two styles are very close (Krzyszkowska 2005, 133–137, esp. 136, 147 n. 90).

House C.9 IVA.336 (S 666; Room 1, E4 5506.6; Fig. 130; Pl. 94). Lentoid, pierced vertically. Soft stone, yellowish brown with paler creamy patches, probably calcite (Mohs 3). Entire reverse heavily encrusted; also some encrustation on edges and on the seal face; seal face fractured in places. D. 2.50–2.65, th. 1.30; d. string holes 0.20 cm. Recumbent lion with head regardant. Mane indicated by long, irregular vertical strokes. Each foreleg comprises two roughly parallel vertical lines terminating in a solid dot; only one hind leg is shown, also ending in a solid dot. Eye and muzzle marked by solid dots; straight vertical line for the tail. Behind the animal, a plant motif. LM I–II Cut Style. Lions are relatively common in the Cut Style, with ca. 35 examples, virtually all engraved in hard stone, as is CMS II.3, no. 257 from Mochlos. Examples in soft stone are rare: CMS IV, no. 256 (schist) and CMS V, Suppl. 3, no. 347 (cylinder seal, Mochlos Building B: chlorite). Also HM 2505 (Unexplored Mansion, Knossos; calcite); see Betts 1984, 188–189, 190–191, pl. 184:M35, where material is wrongly identified as fluorite. For the style, see Pini 2000 (with lists); Krzyszkowska 2005, 147 n. 90, 201–203, 248–250.

5

Small Finds of Bone, Ceramic, Shell, and Stone Jeffrey S. Soles and Angela M. Hussein With contributions by Alessandra Giumlia-Mair, Dimitra Mylona, and Polly Westlake

Small finds made of clay, stone, bone, and shell are presented in this chapter with both a discussion and a catalog for each grouping. All measurements in the catalogs are in meters unless otherwise indicated. The small finds are organized by function and include jewelry, drains, figurines, offering tables, lamps, work slabs, stands, stone vases, and various bone and shell objects. Of the 380 cataloged items, 97 (26%) come from House C.3, and these finds suggest some of the activities in the house. No house preserves its complete inventory of objects, however,

nor are the objects preserved necessarily representative of household assemblages, as the site was looted at the end of the LM IB period and the contents of the houses were further pilfered later in the Mycenaean and Hellenistic periods. Nonetheless, taken as a whole, the remaining objects provide some information about the activities taking place in the town, particularly domestic and craft production, food preparation, and ritual activities. The objects are described first by type and then cataloged individually by house.

Beads and Other Jewelry Given the large number of Neopalatial beads from House A.2, the House of the Lady with the Ivory Pyxis (Soles 2016), and the LM I jewelry from Tomb 22, uncovered by Seager (1912, 78–79), it may seem surprising how few beads and other

items of jewelry were found elsewhere in the settlement. These were the objects most easily transported, however, and least likely to be left behind when the town was abandoned. Only 40 pieces of jewelry were recovered, including thirteen gold, lead, and

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bronze objects described in Chapter 3, along with eleven beads of stone, eleven shell beads, two bone beads, three bone pins, one faience bead, one bone pendant, one stone pendant, one shell pendant, and one clay bead cataloged in this chapter. Half of these, 16 different items, were recovered in House C.3, where a gold bead, one bronze ring, one ring bezel, three bronze pins with a high silver or arsenic content, a lead earring, a bronze pendant, four stone beads, one faience bead, and one shell bead were located. Nearly every building contained some jewelry, suggesting that it was once more prevalent. Three shell beads, two bone pins, and a bronze ring bezel were found in Building C.10; two stone beads, a shell bead, and a bone pin were found in House C.2; four shell beads and one bone bead were found in House B.4; two stone beads were found in House C.1; a stone bead and a shark tooth pendant were found in Building D.7; a stone bead was found in House C.4, a shell bead in C.5, a bone bead in C.12, and a bronze ring in C.8 and another in the temenos with a clay bead. The jewelry includes a wide range of materials and shapes. Some objects would have had little value, such as the nine shell beads or the five beads that are made from ordinary stones, including serpentinite, schist, white calcite, pumice; one bead is made of clay. Other pieces, however, are made of rare or expensive materials, and some had symbolic significance. Four beads are made of semiprecious stones, including agate, carnelian, and amethyst; one is faience, and another is gold. Two rings are bronze, including one with silver rivets that was probably wrapped in silver foil, and one is lead. The semiprecious stone beads are spherical, disk shaped, or amygdaloid, and two depict a religious motif. One of these, IVA.352, is cut in the shape of a bull’s head that recalls the amethyst bead from Tomb 22 and a faience bead from the ivory pyxis found in House A.2. The gold bead IVA.257 depicts a papyrus flower like several from Knossos (Effinger 1996, 34–35) or like those on the necklaces from Tombs A and D at Archanes (Sakellarakis and Sapouna-Sakellaraki 1997, 610–611). The lead earring that depicts a cluster of grapes (IVA.249) is a small masterpiece. Most of the jewelry was probably manufactured locally. The shell beads were simple enough to have been made in individual households, while the metal jewelry was manufactured in the Artisans’ Quarter, where several bronze earrings and pins were found

(Soles 2004c, 50), and most of the stone beads may have been made there as well. The amethyst beads were made of a rare and exotic material, however, imported from Egypt, and they may have been produced as far away as Poros, outside Knossos, where there was a large workshop producing amethyst and other beads of semiprecious stone (Dimopoulou 1997, 2001). The lead earring IVA.249 also has parallels from Poros that were made of precious metals like silver and gold (Effinger 1996, 20–21). Nevertheless, a workshop located in Building C.7, which lay to the east of House C.3, was producing glass beads and was also capable of producing faience and stone beads. Two small pieces of semi-worked rock crystal and carnelian (IVA.341, IVA.342) found in House C.3 may also belong to a local production of beads that was not necessarily located in the house.

House C.3 In addition to the jewelry items cataloged below, the gold bead (IVA.257), lead earring (IVA.249), bronze rings (IVA.253, IVA.254), pins (IVA.7, IVA.56, IVA.205, IVA.206, IVA.250, IVA.252), and pendant (IVA.250B) that are cataloged in Chapter 3 should also be considered part of the total jewelry assemblage from House C.3. IVA.337 (S 503; Room 2.1, E3 6875.1; Fig. 131, Pl. 95). Agate bead. Intact. D. 0.010, th. 0.008. Small, nearly spherical in form. IVA.338 (Sh 150; Room 2.2, E3 6911.2; Fig. 131, Pl. 95). Shell bead. Intact. D. 0.026, th. 0.023. Patella sp. Perforated by percussion at apex. IVA.339 (S 447; Room 2.2, E3 58/6819). Stone bead. Intact. D. 0.011, th. 0.006. Grayish-brown (2.5Y 4/2) stone. Small and oblong in shape, pierced at one end. IVA.340 (F 35; Room 2.2, E3 58/6819; Fig. 131, Pl. 95). Faience amygdaloid bead. Intact. L. 0.019, w. 0.012, th. 0.004. Beveled edges. Blue-green (10.0G 6/6) faience. It was analyzed by K. Hall using a portable XRF (Bruker Tracer) showing peaks for silica, calcium, iron, and a much larger peak for copper. It was identified under microscope as faience as it appears to be a mass of silica grains cemented together. Some of these grains are small, but some are much larger. The large ones can be seen without magnification, and some of them are an intense blue. The overall color of the bead is green. The bead has been shaped after the mixture was heated. Under the microscope the larger silica grains preserve clear traces of polishing striations, while the grains lying on the beveled edges have been beveled through. IVA.341 (S 109; Room 1.1, E3 4811.4). Worked rock crystal. Intact. Pres. L. 0.013, pres. w. 0.005, pres. th. 0.004.

SMALL FINDS OF BONE, CERAMIC, SHELL, AND STONE

Fragment of a small rectangular piece of rock crystal with diagonal striations on four facets from a cutting wheel. IVA.342 (S 533; Room 1.3, E3 5729.6). Worked carnelian. Intact. Pres. d. 0.010, pres. th. 0.004. Small fragment of reddish-brown translucent carnelian with traces of polished surfaces and traces of a small hole.

Plateia A IVA.343 (B 139; southern area, F3 10010). Bone bead. Intact. D. 10,000 g. Subrectangular/irregular sandstone boulder roughly pecked into shape, with a circular cavity, measuring 0.19 x 0.17 x 0.13, pecked/worn into its upper face. IVA.1099 (GS 2524; Room 6, E3 3860). Basin. Whole, in situ. Dims. 0.47 x 0.31 x 0.19. Weight >10,000 g. Irregularly shaped sandstone boulder roughly pecked into shape, with an ovoid cavity, measuring 0.27 x 0.18 x 0.10, pecked/worn into its upper face. IVA.1100 (GS 2525; Room 6, E3 3861). Basin. Whole, in situ. Dims. 0.57 x 0.42 x 0.25. Weight >10,000 g. Subrectangular/irregular sandstone boulder roughly pecked into shape, with an ovoid cavity, measuring 0.34 x 0.25 x 0.12, pecked/worn into its upper face. The earliest of the three basins located here, it was later turned upside down and used as a seat.

Type 22. Biconically Perforated Weights IVA.1101 (GS 2448; Room 1, E3 2855.2; Fig. 174). Biconically perforated weight. One-half extant. Dims. 0.062 x 0.029 (max.) x 0.030. Weight 69 g. Flat, circular limestone cobble with biconical perforation (d. 0.0135). LM IA context.

Type 25. Naturally Perforated Weights IVA.1102 (GS 2199; Room 6, E3 3861.1). Naturally perforated weight. Whole. Dims. 0.082 x 0.077 x 0.032. Weight 264 g. Subcircular limestone cobble with natural perforation near one margin.

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House B.1 Only one object was recovered in House B.1, excavated in 1908. It was located on the south side of Room 9 and probably belongs to the room, which may have been a kitchen, but it was not in its original position.

Type 20. Basin IVA.1103 (GS 2902; Room 9, E3 4200; Fig. 174). Basin. One piece broken on one side, about three-quarters extant. Pres. dims. 0.250 (broken) x 0.400 x 0.155. Circular sandstone boulder roughly pecked into shape with ovoid cavity measuring 0.150 x 0.210 x 0.095.

House C.6 Thirty ground stone objects were recovered in House C.6, most from contexts that were badly disturbed in later periods. Only 12 come from good LM IB contexts and eight from earlier Neopalatial levels. They include tool types utilized for grinding and material reduction, commonly associated with flour production and food preparation (Adams 2002, 103), and it is likely that the inhabitants of House C.6, like the occupants of other Neopalatial houses at Mochlos, possessed the standard domestic grinding assemblage, which included a basin, a quern, handstones, and grinders. Most of these tools, including two handstones, a hand-/ hammerstone, a quern, a basin, and one subcuboid grinder, were found in or above basement rooms (Rooms 1.1, 1.2, 1.3) that were disturbed by later activity on the site. A sandstone basin (IIC.404), saddle quern (IIC.378), and grinder (IIC.340), found in the collapse above Room 1.1, were Minoan in origin, but they were probably being reused in the LM III period and no longer in their Neopalatial context. They were published accordingly in Mochlos IIC with other LM III material (Carter 2011, 78, 82, 85). A hand-/hammerstone and handstone were also discovered in Room 3, an area badly disturbed in the Hellenistic period, and were probably not in their original location. The 12 tools from good LM IB contexts include a hammerstone, two hand-/hammerstones, two handstones, a burnisher, two biconically perforated weights, and a naturally perforated weight. The earlier material includes two hammerstones, two hand-/hammerstones, a pestle, a handstone, and two burnishers. Four hammerstones for unspecialized pounding and pulverizing were found distributed across all three floors of the house. Three suspension weights (one naturally perforated stone, two biconically perforated stones) were also distributed throughout the house.

Locally sourced materials were used for all the tools except the pestle (IVA.1108) and the saddle quern (IIC.378). As in other Neopalatial houses at Mochlos, the majority of the tools were fashioned from crystalline limestone beach cobbles (26 of the 30 objects). An applicator (IVA.1111) was created from a section of green phyllite that outcrops on the foot slopes south of the Artisans’ Quarter, in deposits along Limenaria Bay to the west, and also as inclusions in the conglomerate layer crowning the islet above the site. A saddle quern (IIC.378) is made with a variety of granodiorite found in the watersheds that drain into the southern sections of the bay of Mirabello. The dark gray volcanic tuff used for the pestle (IVA.1108) is the only off-island import and may have come from Santorini or Melos (Friedrich 2009). The pestle was discovered in the MM III levels of Room 1.1. Items not included in the ground stone assemblage from C.6 are also important for understanding the types of domestic activities and organization of domestic space in Minoan society. Lithic technologies for specialized craft production were sparse to nonexistent. Stone vessel manufacture, which could be undertaken at the household level, did not occur within House C.6. Neither drill guides nor drill caps were discovered in the structure, although a drill guide (IVA.1140) was discovered in the street outside the building. Two burnishers, often associated with ceramic and hide production, were found in Room 1.1. The stone suspension weights (IVA.1113, IVA.1114) may have been used in conjunction with ceramic loomweights (IVA.790, IVA.792) to meet the cloth and textile needs of household members (i.e., clothing, fishing net repair, sails, and so forth). All the ground stone comes from Area E3.

GROUND STONE IMPLEMENTS

Avenue 2 along West Facade of C.6, Floor

Type 27: pivot stone (IVA.1115; GS 1054; 88/8907.1)

Avenue 2 along North Facade of C.6, Floor

Type 4: handstone (GS 2605; 9904) + 1 Type 11: drill guide (IVA.1140; GS 2243; 10031.3) Type 25: naturally perforated weight (GS 2601; 9904)

C.6, Room 2.1, Hellenistic/LM I Level

Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (GS 657; 88/8902)

C.6, Room 2.2, Floor

Type 1a: hammerstone (IVA.1105; GS 2659; 88/8910)

C.6, Room 1.2, Floor

Type 22: biconically perforated weight (GS 1210; 7905.3) Type 25: naturally perforated weight (IVA.1114; GS 750; 7905.3)

C.6, Room 1.2, Staircase Closet, Floor

Type 22: biconically perforated weight (IVA.1113; GS 2305; 7911)

C.6, Room 1.2, MM III/LMIA Deposit beneath Floor Type 1a: hammerstones (IVA.1104; GS 2614; 7920) +1 Type 9: burnishers (IVA.1111; GS 2615; 7920) + 1

C.6, Rooms 1.1 and 1.2, Surface and Collapse

Type 5: Grinder (IIC.340 [GS 822]; 7902) Type 10: differentially weathered cobble/applicator (GS 982; 7902) Type 14a: saddle quern (IIC.378 [GS 634]; 7902) Type 20: sandstone basin (IIC.404 [GS 842]; 7902)

C.6, Room 1.3, Collapse

Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (IVA.1107; GS 2606; 8001) Type 4: handstones (IVA.1110; GS 2612; 8001) + 1 Type 9: polisher (GS 1438; 8002)

C.6, Room 1.3, MM III/LM IA Deposit

Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (IVA.1106; GS 1715; 8014) + 1 Type 3: pestle (IVA.1108; GS 1675; 8014) Type 4: handstone (IVA.1109; GS 1703; 8014)

C.6, Room 3.1, Floor Remnants

Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (GS 1839; 10035) Type 4: handstone (GS 2191; 10035) + 1 Type 10: differentially weathered cobble/weight? (GS 2376; 10035)

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House C.6 Catalog Type 1a. Hammerstones IVA.1104 (GS 2614; Room 1.1, E3 7920.3). Hammerstone. Whole. Dims. 0.049 x 0.036 x 0.150. Weight 39 g. Small, flat subovoid limestone cobble with percussive damage on one end. IVA.1105 (GS 2659; Room 2.2, E3 88/8910). Hammerstone. Whole. Dims. 0.086 x 0.064 x 0.060. Weight 423 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with percussive damage on one end.

Type 2. Implements with Pecked Circumferences and One or Two Abraded Faces IVA.1106 (GS 1715; Room 1.3, E3 8014.1). Hand-/ hammerstone. Three-quarters extant. Dims. 0.105 x 0.083 (broken) x 0.054. Weight 657 g. Flat, subovoid limestone cobble abraded on both faces and with percussive damage on parts of margin. MM III context. IVA.1107 (GS 2606; Room 1.3; E3 8001.1). Hand-/ hammerstone. Whole. Dims. 0.126 x 0.083 x 0.063. Weight 1,182 g. Subrectangular limestone cobble with slight central depression pecked into both faces, major percussive damage on both ends, and one face abraded.

Type 3. Pestles IVA.1108 (GS 1675; Room 1.3, E3 8014.2). Pestle. Whole. Dims. 0.086 x 0.064 x 0.064. Weight 384 g. Cobble of dark gray volcanic tuff pecked and ground into a conical form with flattened top and rounded base with abrasive use-wear. MM III context.

Type 4. Handstones IVA.1109 (GS 1703; Room 1.3, E3 8014.1). Handstone. Broken. Pres. dims. 0.112 x 0.085 x 0.042. Weight 678 g. Flat limestone cobble abraded on one face. MM III context. IVA.1110 (GS 2612; Room 1.3, E3 8001.2). Handstone. Broken. Pres. dims. 0.065 x 0.046 x 0.025. Weight 118 g. Limestone cobble abraded on surviving face.

Type 9. Elongated Cobbles and Pebbles with Areas of Light Abrasion IVA.1111 (GS 2615; Room 1.1, E3 7920.3). Burnisher/ applicator. Whole. Dims. 0.066 x 0.015 x 0.008. Weight 10 g. Trapezoidal, green phyllite pebble with abrasive wear on one end.

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Type 22. Biconically Perforated Weights IVA.1113 (GS 2305; Room 1.2 closet, E3 7911). Biconically perforated weight. Intact. Dims. 0.065 x 0.064 x 0.023. Weight 153 g. Circular limestone beach cobble with pitting from percussive use around its perimeter and a 0.0013 circular hole pecked through the center of the tool. The hole was created by repeated precise percussive blows and smoothed by abrasion. A flake is missing from one face; a bulb of percussion is visible where the flake joins the outer edge of the tool. Percussive usewear and damage around the periphery of the stone suggest that the tool was possibly hafted and used as a small hammer or mace.

Type 25. Naturally Perforated Weights IVA.1114 (GS 750; Room 1.2, E3 7905.3). Naturally perforated weight. Dims. 0.76 x 0.59 x 0.51. Oblong,

triangular limestone beach cobble with a hole weathered through two faces at one end of the stone, creating a base-heavy weight. The hole measures 0.0015 m in diameter, and the remains of marine crustaceans cling to the holes' undulating sides, attesting to the origin of this adventitious tool. The tool appears totally unmodified by human agency, yet the context of its discovery (floor) and its obvious use potential as a weight justify its classification as an object.

Type 27. Pivot Stones IVA.1115 (GS 1054; Avenue 2, E3 88/8907.1). Pivot stone/large drill cap. Complete. Dims. 1.82 x 1.66 x 0.86. Bun-shaped, purple limestone boulder with two circular depressions abraded into the middle of both broad faces.

Building C.8 Type 20. Basins IVA.1116 (GS 2757; Room 3, E4 8100). Basin. Broken in half, but complete. Dims. 0.42 x 0.56 x 0.20.

Weight >10,000 g. Sandstone boulder roughly pecked into shape, with a large circular cavity, measuring 0.22 x 0.32 x 0.09. Found in Seager’s dump and probably no longer in situ.

House B.4 Thirty-seven ground stone objects were recovered from House B.4. The assemblage is dominated by grinding implements associated with grain and food processing. The Neopalatial domestic graingrinding toolkit is represented by a sandstone basin (IVA.1132), two saddle querns (IVA.1129, IVA.1131), three other querns (IVA.1127, IVA.1128, IVA.1130), and an assortment of handstones and grinders. All but four of the ground stone objects were discovered in Rooms 1 and 3, the largest rooms in the house. Twenty ground stone objects were recovered from Room 1, the bulk from the fill level below the LM IB floor. Thirteen ground stone objects were found in Room 3, including the sandstone basin. A hammerstone and a handstone were discovered in the large bin in the northwest corner of the house (Room 4 bin). Two hammerstones were discovered in contexts within Room 2. Ground stone objects found on the LM IB floor in Room 3 suggest grinding and material reduction took place in the room alongside other food preparation and consumption activities. The carefully

worked rectangular sandstone basin (IVA.1132) accompanied by two grinders suggests that coarse grinding may have taken place in this area of the house. A handstone (IVA.1123), a saddle quern (IVA.1130), and an oblong quern (IVA.1131) for the production of finer flour were recovered in the upper story collapse, indicating the tools were at least stored in the room directly above Room 3. A handstone and a hammerstone (IVA.1122, IVA.1119) were discovered on the LM IB floor in Room 1, but the assemblage lacks a nether stone or grinding base. Two saddle querns were, however, discovered in the fill layers below the later LM IB floor in Room 1. Other types of ground stone include two applicators found in the collapse from the upper story levels above Room 1. Five biconically perforated weights were discovered in B.4, three from collapse and floor layers and three from earlier fill layers below the floor. At least one of these was originally a drill cap (GS 2265), probably used in conjunction with a bow drill in fire generation.

GROUND STONE IMPLEMENTS

The ground stone assemblage from House B.4 is comprised of 10 different types of objects created out of six different types of stone. With regard to the varieties of stone, 65% of the tools are limestone, 10% are granodiorite, 7.5% are phyllite, 5% are sandstone, and another 5% are green andesite. One tool is made of a pure quartzite and another is made of anorthrosite, a plagioclase feldspar-rich rock with an unknown provenience in East Crete. The saddle querns are exclusively made from a granodiorite material, probably sourced from the south Mirabello region, and the basin was created out of medium-grained sandstone from the Mochlos quarry. In addition to the Neopalatial material in the house, a small axe or celt (IVA.1137) was discovered in the floor packing beneath the Room 1 floor. It was fashioned from locally available green andesite and likely belonged to a member of the site’s earliest community. Almost certainly dating to the Late Neolithic or the Early Minoan period, this is only the third such tool found at Mochlos. It comes from the fill deposit below the floor and was found with nine other ground stone objects, all in good working condition with the exception of two broken querns. The fill was put in to level the floor, and the tools found within that locus were probably resting inside the soil material used. It is unlikely that the axe/celt was deposited for apotropaic purposes, and the LM I inhabitants were probably unaware of the 10 ground stone objects recovered in the fill deposit. All the ground stone comes from Area D4.

B.4, Vestibule, Rooms 2 and 3, Collapse

Type 1a: hammerstone (GS 2267; 203) Type 4: handstones (IVA.1123; GS 2299; 203) + 1 Type 14a: saddle quern (IVA.1130; GS 2288; 203) Type 14b: quern/anvil (IVA.1131; GS 2301; 203)

B.4, Vestibule and Room 3, Collapse

Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (IVA.1121; GS 2278; 208.2) Type 22: biconically perforated weight (GS 2279; 208.1)

413

B.4, Room 3, Floor 2

Type 5: grinders (GS 2262; 216) + 1 Type 20: basin (IVA.1132; GS 2304; 216)

B.4, Room 3, Floor 1

Type 5: subcuboid grinder (IVA.1125; GS 2275; 220) Type 22: biconically perforated weight or drill cap (GS 2265; 220) Type 22: biconically perforated tool (IVA.1135; GS 2261; 220)

B.4, Room 1, Surface

Type 1a: hammerstone (IVA.1117; GS 2264; 101.1) Type 14: quern (IVA.1127; GS 2126; 101.1)

B.4, Room 1, Collapse

Type 1a: hammerstone (GS 2116; 101.3) Type 9: burnishers/applicators (IVA.1126; GS 2121; 101.3) + 1 Type 22: unfinished biconically perforated weight (IVA.1134; GS 2117; 101.2)

B.4, Room 1, Floor

Type 1a, Type 5: hammerstone/grinders (IVA.1119; GS 2263; 128.5) Type 4: handstone (IVA.1122; GS 2271; 128.2) Type 5: grinder (GS 2283; 128.1) Type 21: balance weight or grinder/hammerstone (IVA.1133; GS 2270; 128.1)

B.4, Room 1, Fill beneath Floor

Type 1a: hammerstones (GS 2122; 101.5) + 1 Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (IVA.1120; GS 2118; 101.6) Type 4: handstones (GS 2127; GS 2128; 101.6) Type 6a: subcuboid grinder (GS 2123; 101.5) Type 14a: saddle querns (IVA.1128, IVA.1129; GS 2115, GS 2124; 101.5) Type 22: biconically perforated weight (GS 2129; 101.5) Type 28: celt/axe (IVA.1137; GS 2125; 101.5)

B.4, Room 4 Bin, Collapse

Type 1a: hammerstone (GS 2284; 121.2)

B.4, Room 4 Bin, Mixed Deposit

Type 4: handstone (IVA.1124; GS 2274; 1107)

B.4, Hallway, Collapse on Floor

Type 1a: hammerstone (IVA.1118; GS 2286; 205.1)

B.4, Hallway, Floor

Type 1a: hammerstone (GS 2273; 205.3)

B.4, Room 3, Collapse

Type 26: bore core (IVA.1136; S 547B; 212.1)

House B.4 Catalog Type 1a. Hammerstones IVA.1117 (GS 2264; Room 1, D4 101.1). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.076 x 0.064 x 0.032. Weight 237 g. Subovoid, grainy limestone cobble with percussive

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damage on both ends. It also has a small, central, shallow depression pecked into one of its faces. IVA.1118 (GS 2286; Room 2, D4 205.1). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.128 x 0.098 x 0.083. Weight 1,579 g. Ovoid limestone cobble with percussive damage on both margins. IVA.1119 (GS 2263; Room 1, D4 128.5). Hammerstone/ grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.078 x 0.630 x 0.025. Weight 213 g. Flat, ovoid limestone cobble with a shallow depression pecked into one face; percussive use-wear around its circumference, and damage concentrated on one end.

Type 2. Implements with Pecked Circumferences and One or Two Abraded Faces IVA.1120 (GS 2118; Room 1, D4 101.6). Hand-/ hammerstone. One-half extant. Dims. 0.074 x 0.081 x 0.039. Weight 360 g. Subcircular limestone cobble with light percussive damage around its circumference and a central depression pecked into its surviving flat face. The tool was broken by light percussive use, not by heavy impacts, a worn-out tool. IVA.1121 (GS 2278; Room 3, D4 208.2). Hand-/ hammerstone. One-half extant. Dims. 0.095 x 0.061 x 0.046. Weight 444 g. Circular limestone cobble with a circular perforation worn into each flat face creating a hole in its center. On one side the central depression was created by pecking and on the other by abrasion, possibly from the rotation of a drill end.

Type 4. Handstones IVA.1122 (GS 2271; Room 1, D4 128.2). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.103 x 0.098 x 0.047. Weight 792 g. Ovoid limestone cobble with one face worn smooth by abrasion; traces of pecking in the center of the smooth face. Percussive use-wear around its circumference with percussive damage concentrated on its broadest margin. IVA.1123 (GS 2299; Room 3, D4 203.2). Handstone. Nearly intact. Dims. 0.246 x 0.095 x 0.067. Weight 2,152 g. Elongated limestone cobble with heavy abrasive usewear on one face; abrasion is focused on two-thirds of the cobble creating both a handle of unmodified stone and a small working surface. It has traces of pecking in the center of the abraded surface. The elongated tool fits perfectly inside the rectangular basin recovered from the floor deposit (IVA.1132). IVA.1124 (GS 2274; Room 4 bin, D4 1107.8). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.013 x 0.086 x 0.045. Weight 611 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with pecking around its circumference and a distal flake removed in an episode of more intense percussive use. One face is worn smooth from abrasion, and traces of pecking exist in the center of that flat face.

Type 6. Subcuboid Cobbles with Abraded Surfaces IVA.1125 (GS 2275; Room 3, D4 220.2). Subcuboid grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.065 x 0.066 x 0.047. Weight 287 g. Subcuboid, pale tan to white, anorthosite cobble with use-wear on two faces: one was damaged by percussion, perhaps natural, and the other is flat from abrasive use. The tool is not a blade core or a basic hand-/ hammerstone.

Type 9. Elongated Cobbles and Pebbles with Areas of Light Abrasion IVA.1126 (GS 2121; Room 1, D4 101.3). Burnisher/ applicator. Intact. Dims. 0.081 x 0.014 x 0.009. Weight 15 g. Flat, elongated, green phylitte pebble, smoothed on each face, pointed at one end.

Type 14a. Saddle Querns IVA.1127 (GS 2126; Room 1, D4 101.1). Quern. Intact. Dims. 0.378 x 0.311 x 0.125. Weight 17,900 g. Subtrapezoidal limestone boulder with an abraded flat surface from apparent use-wear on one side, with a small circular depression worn into the other. IVA.1128 (GS 2115; Room 1, D4 101.5). Saddle quern. One-fourth extant. Dims. 0.158 x 0.169 x 0.094. Weight 3,205 g. Subconical margin of a granodiorite quern. This dense, dark gray, quartz-rich boulder with many inclusions is a commonly utilized material in saddle quern fabrication at Mochlos from the EM II to the LM I periods. IVA.1129 (GS 2124; Room 1, D4 101.5). Saddle quern. One-fourth extant. Dims. 0.245 x 0.100 x 0.069. Weight 2,751 g. Medium-grained, dark gray granodiorite slab modified by percussion into an oblong form with rounded ends and a longitudinal concave curvature. The concave face has been worn smooth with use. IVA.1130 (GS 2288; Room 3, D4 203.2). Saddle quern. One-third extant. Dims. 0.244 x 0.149 x 0.810. Weight 3,334 g. Dense, oblong slab of coarse-grained, gray granodiorite tapering to a rounded point. At 0.102 m from the rounded point a broad concavity with a flat base begins and stretches across the upper face of the tool (its working surface). IVA.1131 (GS 2301; Room 3, D4 203.1). Quern/anvil. One-third extant. Dims. 0.242 x 0.313 x 0.127. Weight >23 kg. Massive schist quern with one large flat surface with hundreds of small pecks across it.

Type 20. Basins IVA.1132 (GS 2304; Room 3, D4 216.2; Pl. 114). Basin. Intact. Dims. 0.457 x 0.334 x 0.244. Weight 40,500 g.

GROUND STONE IMPLEMENTS

Volume 6,200 ml. Rectangular sandstone basin created by percussion but used as an abrasive surface; use-wear is obvious on the inside. It has four walls and a basin depth of 0.114. The coarse grain and porosity of the sandstone prevents the basin from holding liquids.

415

perforated limestone cobble with light percussive usewear around its circumference. Its central depression was created by light percussion then smoothed by abrasion; the depression has a gradual slope with a radius of 0.015. The pecking around the perimeter indicates that the tool was likely hafted.

Type 21/Type 5. Balance Weight or Implement with Heavy Abrasive Wear

Type 26. Bore Core

IVA.1133 (GS 2270; Room 1, D4 129.1). Balance weight or grinder/hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.074 x 0.050 x 0.045. Weight 323 g. Rectangular, green andesite cobble shaped on all sides by abrasion. One end is pitted from light percussive use, and one flake is missing from heavier percussive use.

IVA.1136 (S 547B; Room 3, collapse, 212.1). Bore core. One piece mended from three fragments. Pres. h. 0.037, max. d. 0.031. Dark greenish-gray serpentinite with veins of white. Stone core created from drilling out a cavity on a stone vase. Broken at both ends. Outer surface of core highly polished with drill rings evident.

Type 22. Biconically Perforated Weights

Type 28. Axe

IVA.1134 (GS 2117; Room 1, D4 101.2). Unfinished biconically perforated weight or cup for the upper end of a bow drill. Dims. 0.105 x 0.100 x 0.045. D. of central depression 0.042 x 0.040 x 0.010. Weight 795 g. Circular, grainy limestone cobble with a depression worn 0.010 into the center of each flat face. One depression appears to have been created by pecking, while the other appears to have been created by abrasion. One side of the cobble exhibits percussive use-wear. IVA.1135 (GS 2261; Room 3, D4 220.3). Intact. Dims. 0.056 x 0.056 x 0.019. Weight 90 g. Biconically

IVA.1137 (GS 2125; Room 1, D4 101.5). Axe/celt. Intact. Dims. 0.070 x 0.043 x 0.032. Weight 159 g. Complete polished axe of green andesite with smooth rounded sides that taper to a pointed butt. The blade is defined by an area of additional burnishing and measures 0.010 x 0.042 on both sides of the working edge. Some small fragments from one side of the blade were removed during percussive use. The pointed end of the tool, along with its small size, would have precluded its direct handheld use, therefore it was likely hafted onto a wooden shank.

Avenue 2 between House B.4 and Building C.8 Type 1a. Hammerstones IVA.1138 (GS 2285; Avenue 2, E4 9202.3). Hammerstone. One-eighth extant. Dims. 0.092 x 0.054 x 0.017. Weight 155 g. Subovoid limestone cobble broken flat on both ends leaving a thin, flat stone, virtually a crosssection of the original cobble.

Type 4. Handstones IVA.1139 (GS 2215; Avenue 2, E3 10031.3). Handstone. Whole. Dims. 0.132 x 0.121 x 0.069. Weight 1,680

g. Flat, square limestone cobble with abrasion on one face.

Type 11. Drill Guides IVA.1140 (GS 2243; Avenue 2, E3 10031.3). Drill guide. Whole. Dims. 0.145 x 0.074 x 0.058. Weight 655 g. Irregularly shaped amphibolite cobble with semicircular channel worn into one corner (width 0.0361). For the widespread use of these tools, also known as “slotted cobbles”, see Carter 2004b, 72 and Bevan 2007, 58 n. 8.

Building C.10 The ground stone assemblage from Building C.10 includes 108 objects from 44 separate contexts ranging in date from the structure’s initial construction in the MM IIIA period through the reconstruction

projects carried out during the Neopalatial period until its abandonment at the end of the LM IB period. It includes ten ground stone objects that were recovered from the debris and soil mantle overlying

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the structure. Viewed as a whole, the ground stone assemblage from C.10 lends insight into the general character of domestic activities that took place in the building through its multiple phases of use. The 108 objects represent 17 general tool types outlined in the introduction of this chapter. The majority (66%) were used to grind, pulverize, and/or mill materials, likely in the preparation of foodstuffs such as emmer flour or crushed groats. Twenty tools (19%) are Type 1 hammerstones, likely utilized for assorted household repairs, constructions, and food preparation as well. The remaining 17 objects (16%) are classified as polishers, whetstones, handheld mortars, a pestle, balance weights, perforated stone weights, and a single drill guide (IVA.1153). Overall, the ground stone assemblage reflects the daily domestic needs of the Neopalatial inhabitants and suggests little in the way of household craft or artisanal production. The building’s 11 rooms formed four compartments. Units 1, 3, and 4 are understood as living areas, whereas Unit 2 served as a kitchen complex.

Surface Finds Eleven ground stone objects were collected from the surface above Building C.10 where they were probably used at one time. They are mostly a broken assemblage of common domestic tools made from local limestone, sandstone, or schist. The exceptions include a hand-/hammerstone that may also have been used as a drill cap for stone vase production (IVA.1141), part of a saddle quern made of granodiorite (GS 1944) from the Gournia region, and a subcuboid grinder of amphibolite (IVA.1142). Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (IVA.1141; GS 1958; D4 404.2) + 3 Type 4: handstones: (GS 1945; D4 301.4) + 1 Type 6: subcuboid grinders (IVA.1142; GS 2052; D4 301.5) + 1 Type 14: quern (GS 1944; D4 301.4) Type 22: biconically perforated weights (GS 2766; D4 401.1) + 1

Type 2. Implements with Pecked Circumferences and One or Two Abraded Faces IVA.1141 (GS 1958; surface, D4 404.2). Hand-/ hammerstone and drill cap. One-half extant. Dims. 0.127 x 0.066 x 0.063. Weight 747 g. Circular limestone cobble with percussive damage around its extant margins. It has a central depression worn into each of its

faces, one worn smooth from abrasion and the other grooved from circular abrasion, possibly from a drill.

Type 6. Subcuboid Cobbles with Abraded Surfaces IVA.1142 (GS 2052; surface, D4 301.5). Subcuboid grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.062 x 0.058 x 0.051. Weight 263 g. Subcuboid amphibolite cobble with two faces worn smooth and a small depression pecked into another face.

Unit 1 Twenty-seven ground stone objects were recovered from Rooms 1, 2, 3, and the entrance that comprised Unit 1. The collection consists of 11 different types of tools, mostly for nonspecialized grinding and pulverizing tasks, except for a drill guide (IVA. 1153). The Unit 1 assemblage includes a perfectly paired handheld mortar (IVA.1156) and pestle (IVA. 1146), two small polishers (IVA.1151, IVA.1152), a whetstone (IVA.1155), four biconically perforated stone weights (including IVA. 1158), and a sphendenoid weight (IVA.1157). Five hammerstones, two hand-/ hammerstones, four handstones, three grinders, and two large querns were also recovered from Unit 1. The amphibolite drill guide (IVA.1153) was found on the floor of the entrance just inside the original threshold of the building near Avenue 2.

Unit 1, Room 3, Collapse

Type 21: sphendenoid weight (IVA.1157; GS 2337; D4 308.1) Type 22: biconically perforated weights (GS 2770; D4 308.1) + 1

Unit 1, Floor of Entrance Platform

Type 11: drill guide (IVA.1153; GS 2327; D4 1404.2)

Unit 1, Room 1, Collapse

Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (GS 2745; E4 9302.2) Type 4: handstone (IVA.1147; GS 2154; E4 9302.1) Type 9: polisher (IVA.1151; GS 2319; E4 9302.1)

Unit 1, Room 2, Collapsed Floor of Room 3A

Type 1a: hammerstone (IVA.1143; GS 2053; D4 311.1) Type 4: handstone (GS 1942; D4 311.3) Type 22: biconically perforated weights (IVA.1158; GS 1947; D4 311.4) + 1

Unit 1, Room 3, MM IIIA Floor

Type 5: grinder (GS 2772; D4 308.3)

GROUND STONE IMPLEMENTS

Unit 1, Room 1, MM IIIA Floor

Type 4: pestle (IVA.1146; GS 2159; E4 9302.5) Types 5/21: grinder/balance weight (IVA.1149; GS 2318; E4 9302.5) Type 11: drill cap (IVA.1154; GS 2185; E4 9302.5) Type 19: mortar (IVA.1156; GS 2179; E4 9302.5)

Unit 1, Room 2, MM IIIA Floor

Type 1a: hammerstones (IVA.1144; GS 2340; 315.3) +3 Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (IVA.1145; GS 1951; 315.3) Type 4: handstones (IVA.1148; GS 1953; 315) + 1 Type 5: grinder (IVA.1150; GS 1956; 317.1) Type 8: polisher (IVA.1152; GS 2339; 315.3) Type 16: whetstone (IVA.1155; GS 2805; 315.3)

Building C.10, Unit 1 Catalog Type 1a. Hammerstones IVA.1143 (GS 2053; Room 2, D4 311.1). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.089 x 0.069 x 0.068. Weight 608 g. Ovoid limestone cobble with percussive damage on two sides. IVA.1144 (GS 2340; Room 2, D4 315.3). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.086 x 0.052 x 0.045. Weight 285 g. Cylindrical limestone cobble with percussive damage on one end and two quartzite nodules fixed to either side of its base. MM III context.

Type 2. Implements with Pecked Circumferences and One or Two Abraded Faces IVA.1145 (GS 1951; Room 2, D4 315). Hand-/ hammerstone. Four-fifths extant. Dims. 0.138 x 0.085 x 0.061. Weight 1,088 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with one face abraded flat and traces of pecking covering the stone; one end has been removed by vigorous percussive use. MM III context.

Type 3. Pestles IVA.1146 (GS 2159; Room 1, E4 9302.5). Pestle. Intact. Dims. 0.044 x 0.043 x 0.055. Weight 159 g. Limestone cobble with a lens of quartz that forms the base and working end of the tool. The base of this tool fits perfectly inside the small mortar found in this room (IVA.1156).

Type 4. Handstones IVA.1147 (GS 2154; Room 1, E4 9302.1). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.080 x 0.076 x 0.043. Weight 423 g.

417

Circular limestone cobble with percussive damage on one end and one face worn flat from abrasive use. IVA.1148 (GS 1953; Room 2, D4 315.3). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.220 x 0.116 x 0.082. Weight 2,958 g. Elongated, subovoid limestone cobble with a flat base and an arched top; it has percussive damage on one end and traces of light pecking across the upper faces of the stone. The base has three grooves from abrasion running perpendicular to its elongated body. MM III context.

Type 5. Implements with Heavy Abrasive Wear IVA.1149 (GS 2318; Room 1, E4 9302.5). Grinder/ balance weight. One-half extant. Dims. 0.051 x 0.057 x 0.034. Weight 131 g. Subcuboid basalt cobble with quartz veins, smooth sides, and one flat working face. IVA.1150 (GS 1956; Room 2, D4 317.1). Grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.062 x 0.047 x 0.039. Weight 108 g. Differentially weathered cobble with a weathered limestone midsection and a quartzite top and bottom. Its base is broad and flat, and its top is relatively small and bulbous. Use-wear across it base is difficult to discern. MM III context.

Type 8. Irregularly Shaped Implements with Light Abrasive Wear IVA.1151 (GS 2319; Room 1, E4 9302.1). Polisher. Intact. Dims. 0.057 x 0.049 x 0.024. Weight 96 g. Subovoid, purple basalt cobble with light abrasive use-wear across one face. IVA.1152 (GS 2339; Room 2, D4 315.3). Polisher. One-fourth extant? Dims. 0.055 x 0.026 x 0.020. Weight 34 g. The corner of a subrectangular cobble of fine-grained, mica-rich, dark gray schist with a smooth plane face and rounded sides. MM III context.

Type 11. Drill Guide IVA.1153 (GS 2327; entrance corridor, D4 1404.2). Drill guide. Broken. Dims. 0.121 x 0.099 x 0.048. Weight 492 g. An amorphous amphibolite cobble with a straightedged channel of semicircular profile worn into the stone’s body by rotary abrasive action (0.031 wide). The tool was likely larger, including the channel length (0.023 extant), but survives in mended and unmended fragments of amphibolite.

Type 12. Drill Cap IVA.1154 (GS 2185; Room 1, E4 9302.5). Drill cap. Intact. Dims. 0.099 x 0.104 x 0.034. Weight 534 g. Circular limestone cobble with depressions on both broad faces. One central depression has centripetal grooves worn into the stone from spiraling abrasion.

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Type 16. Whetstones IVA.1155 (GS 2805; Room 2, D4 315.3; Fig. 174). Whetstone. Three-fourths extant. Dims. 0.052 x 0.018 x 0.014. Weight 7 g. Elongated trapezoidal, fine-grained slate pebble composed primarily of chlorite. The tool shows abrasive use-wear on all three of its sides, with one side exhibiting the curvilinear grooves associated with sharpening the edge of a blade. MM III context.

Type 19a. Mortars IVA.1156 (GS 2179; Room 1, E4 9302.5). Mortar. Intact. Dims. 0.105 x 0.098 x 0.051. Weight 841 g. Circular limestone cobble with a 0.014 m concavity worn into one face by abrasive use. The central depression has a diameter of 0.059 m and works well with the pestle found in this room (IVA.1146).

Type 21. Balance Weights IVA.1157 (GS 2337; SE corner, D4 308.1). Sphendenoid weight. Intact. Dims. 0.024 x 0.024 x 0.024. Weight 20 g. Sphendenoid limestone pebble, biconical with truncated ends and a flattened bottom, abraded round and smooth on all sides.

Type 22. Biconically Perforated Weights IVA.1158 (GS 1947; Room 2, D4 311.4). Biconically perforated weight. One-half extant. Dims. 0.067 x 0.043 x 0.011. Weight 142 g. Circular limestone cobble with a conical depression pecked and abraded into the center of both broad faces of the stone, creating a hole with an aperture measuring 0.002 m.

Unit 2 Rooms 4, 7, and 8 formed a kitchen complex. It contained 28 ground stone objects, including three large intact sandstone basins embedded in the floor of Rooms 7 and 8a (IVA.1172, IVA.1173, GS 2830), along with a broken sandstone basin (IVA.1174) found in the collapse deposit over Room 4. A whetstone of arenite sandstone (IVA.1170), a mortar of chlorite-rich phyllite (IVA.1171), and a large limestone quern (IVA.1169) as well as seven hammerstones, four hand-/hammerstones, five handstones, and two limestone grinders make up the rest of the Unit 2 collection. The various weights and polishers found in the residential units of the building are notably absent in the kitchen assemblage. The implements in Room 4 were mostly percussive instruments. Given the lack of saddle querns and the fact that the one quern in the room is more

of an anvil and less a grinding tool, it is likely that food preparation, especially grain preparation/ processing, was not a major function of the room. It has been identified as a pantry, and the whetstone found there might have been used to sharpen kitchen knives.

Unit 2, Collapse over Room 4

Type 1: hammerstone (IVA.1159; GS 1965; D4 404.3) Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (IVA.1161; GS 1963; D4 404.4) Type 14b: quern/work surface (IVA.1169; GS 2326; D4 404.4) Type 16: whetstone (IVA.1170; GS 1960; D4 404.4) Type 20: sandstone basin (IVA.1174; GS 2331; D4 404.4) Type 29: microgranite boulder (IVA.1176; M 891; D4 404.3)

Unit 2, Room 4 Floor

Type 4: handstone (IVA.1164; GS 1961; D4 404.5)

Unit 2, Room 7 Floor 3

Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (IVA.1162; GS 2013; D4 531) Type 19: mortar (IVA.1171; GS 2014; D4 531)

Unit 2, Room 7 Floor 2

Type 4: handstone (IVA.1165; GS 2330; D4 536) Type 20: sandstone basin (GS 2830; D4 536)

Unit 2, Room 7 Floor 1

Type 1: hammerstone (GS 2015; D4 537) Type 4: handstone (GS 2017; D4 537) Type 20: sandstone basin (IVA.1172; GS 2829; D4 537)

Unit 2, Collapse over Room 8a

Type 1a: hammerstone/severed cobble (GS 1992; D4 510.2) + 2 Type 4: handstone (IVA.1166; GS 1994; D4 510.1)

Unit 2, Room 8a, Floor 4

Type 1a: hammerstone (IVA.1160; GS 1982; D4 511.5)

Unit 2, Rooms 8a and 8b, Floor 3

Type 1a: hammerstones (GS 2005; D4 520.3) + 2 Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (IVA.1163; GS 2009; D4 521.3) + 1 Type 4: handstone (IVA.1167; GS 2007; D4 521.3) Type 5: grinder (IVA.1168; GS 2008; D4 521.2)

Unit 2, Rooms 8a and 8b, Floor 2

Type 21: balance weight/grinder (IVA.1175; GS 2016; D4 527.6)

GROUND STONE IMPLEMENTS

Unit 2, Rooms 8a and 8b, Floor 1

Type 20: sandstone basin (IVA.1173; GS 2828; D4 527, 538)

Building C.10, Unit 2 Catalog Type 1a. Hammerstones IVA.1159 (GS 1965; Room 4, D4 404.3). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.125 x 0.114 x 0.079. Weight 1,678 g. Rounded, ovoid limestone cobble with percussive damage on one side and light percussive use-wear all over. The tool has a central depression pecked into each of its faces. IVA.1160 (GS 1982; Room 8, D4 511.5). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.106 x 0.083 x 0.065. Weight 812 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with a small flake missing from the tool’s narrowest end and a small part missing from its side.

Type 2. Implements with Pecked Circumferences and One or Two Abraded Faces IVA.1161 (GS 1963; Room 4, D4 404.4). Hand-/ hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.166 x 0.108 x 0.059. Weight 1,477 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with a central depression pecked into both of the stone’s broad faces and percussive damage on one end. IVA.1162 (GS 2013; Room 7, D4 531.2). Hand-/ hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.081 x 0.056 x 0.031. Weight 265 g. Flat, subovoid limestone cobble with pecking around its margins and in the center of both faces, forming small central depressions; both faces are flat from abrasive use. A flake is missing from one end. IVA.1163 (GS 2009; Room 8, D4 521.3). Hand-/ hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.143 x 0.094 x 0.054. Weight 1,060 g. Flat, ovoid limestone cobble with traces of abrasive use-wear on one face and traces of light percussive use around the periphery of the tool. Two large flakes, one on each side of the stone, were removed during episodes of heavier percussive use.

Type 4. Handstones IVA.1164 (GS 1961; Room 4, D4 404.5). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.094 x 0.087 x 0.051. Weight 608 g. Circular limestone cobble with percussive use-wear around its periphery and abrasive use-wear on both of its faces. IVA.1165 (GS 2330; Room 7, D4 536.1). Handstone. Three-fourths extant. Dims. 0.090 x 0.049 x 0.020. Weight 169 g. Flat, elongated subovoid, gray quartzite cobble severed on one end and reused as a light percussive instrument; pecking on the extant round end as well. One face is worn smooth and flat by abrasion.

419

IVA.1166 (GS 1994; Room 8, D4 510.1). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.171 x 0.100 x 0.066. Weight 2,001 g. Flat, elongated ovoid, dense limestone cobble with its two broad faces worn flat and smooth by prolonged abrasive use. Light percussive use-marks are evident on both of its ends and continue along the sides toward the middle where the pecking meets a small smooth area on each side of the stone. IVA.1167 (GS 2007; Room 8, D4 521.3). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.186 x 0.095 x 0.069. Weight 2,117 g. Elongated ovoid cobble of limestone with percussive damage around its margins and a central depression worn into one face and initiated on the other. Both faces sport marks from abrasive use in conjunction with a working surface, likely a quern.

Type 5. Implements with Heavy Abrasive Wear IVA.1168 (GS 2008; Room 8, D4 521.2). Grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.070 x 0.069 x 0.034. Weight 153 g. A differentially weathered cobble of limestone sandwiched between two layers of marble. One marble end is more massive than the other and weathered into a bulbous form, possibly used as a handle. The other marble end is an elongated strip with abrasive use-wear evident across its base. The limestone layer has, of course, weathered faster and exists as an attenuated neck linking the marble handle and the working end.

Type 14b. Querns/Work Surface IVA.1169 (GS 2326; Room 4, D4 404.4). Quern/work surface. One-half extant. Dims. 0.175 x 0.138 x 0.078. Weight 3,196 g. Flat, oblong, dense limestone boulder with percussive and abrasive use-wear across one face.

Type 16. Whetstones IVA.1170 (GS 1960; Room 4, D4 404.4). Whetstone. Intact. Dims. 0.123 x 0.061 x 0.040. Weight 332 g. Triangular cobble of purple arenite sandstone with a shallow depression (L. 0.07) worn into one of its faces. An angled notch is worn into one side of the tool and could easily have been used to sharpen an edge onto metal blade.

Type 19a. Mortars IVA.1171 (GS 2014; Room 7, D4 531.4). Mortar. Intact. Dims. 0.194 x 0.184 x 0.079. Depression dims. 0.110 x 0.109 x 0.031. Weight 3,495 g. Circular green phyllite boulder with a central depression hollowed out by pecking and abrasion. Its base is smooth and flat, with rounded sides.

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Type 20. Basins IVA.1172 (GS 2829; Room 7, D4 537; Fig. 174). Basin. Intact. Dims. 0.330 x 0.490 x 0.225. Weight >10,000 g. Subrectangular sandstone boulder roughly pecked into shape, with a circular cavity measuring 0.17 x 0.19 x 0.11. IVA.1173 (GS 2828; Room 8, D4 527, 538; Fig. 174). Basin. Intact. Dims. 0.42 x 0.50 x 0.17. Weight >10,000 g. Subtriangular sandstone boulder roughly pecked into shape, with a large circular cavity measuring 0.30 x 0.33 x 0.09. IVA.1174 (GS 2331; Room 4, D4 404.4). Basin. Twofifths extant. Dims. 0.338 x 0.250 x 0.164. Weight 8,000 g. Sandstone boulder with a large cavity excavated into one face by percussion and abrasion. The cavity, measuring 0.225 x 0.202 x 0.129, is subrectangular, and the rim survives as a vertically seriated semicircle. The porous nature of the sandstone prevents the basin from retaining liquids; however, its coarseness is ideal for reducing perishable material by abrasion.

Type 21/Type 5. Balance Weights/ Implements with Heavy Abrasive Wear IVA.1175 (GS 2016; Room 8, D4 527.6). Balance weight/grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.097 x 0.058 x 0.046. Weight 629 g. Subrectangular, purple basalt cobble with abrasive use-wear on both its faces and one of its sides; percussive use-wear on one end and on one side.

Type 29. Raw Materials IVA.1176 (M 891; Room 4, D4 404.3). Microgranite ingot. One-half extant. Dims. 0.275 x 0.179 x 0.133. Weight 7,700 g. Subrectangular boulder of poorly consolidated microgranite. Possibly from Gournia or Istron; however, the albedo of the biotite is greater than any known samples from either place. Naxos is another possible source (E. Nodarou, pers. comm., June 2016).

Units 3 and 4 Units 3 and 4 are the other residential areas in Building C.10, and their ground stone assemblages are domestic, like those of Unit 1. Unit 3 yielded only a single handstone and a sandstone basin (IVA.1177), whereas Unit 4 contained 41 ground stone objects. Nine hammerstones, 11 hand-/hammerstones, eight handstones, six grinders, four querns, and a possible anvil were recovered from the contexts within Unit 4. In addition, two subcuboid polishers/balance weights (IVA.1192, IVA.1193), one weighing 90 g, the other exactly twice as much, 180 g, were also discovered in the adjacent LM III shrine.

Unit 3, Room 5, MM III Floor

Type 4: handstone (GS 2030; D4 1405.4) Type 20: basin (IVA.1177; GS 2314; D4 1405.4)

Unit 4, Floor 2 in Rooms 9 and 11

Type 1: hammerstones (GS 2323; D4 506.2) + 7 Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (IVA.1181; GS 1976; D4 506.2) + 3 Type 4: handstones (IVA.1183; GS 1978; D4 506.2) +4 Type 5: grinders (IVA.1184, IVA.1185; GS 2058, GS 1986; D4 506.2) + 4 Type 14a: saddle querns (IVA.1186, IVA.1187; GS 1984, GS 1991; D4 506.2; IVA.1888; GS 1988; D4 506.3) + 1 Type 14b: quern/work surface (GS 1970; D4 506.2) Type 17: anvil (GS 2325; D4 506.3) Types 21/5: balance weight/grinder (IVA.1191; GS 2321; D4 506.3)

Unit 4, Room 9, Floor 1

Type 1: hammerstones (IVA.1178, IVA.1179; GS 1997, GS 2002; D4 516) +2 Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (IVA.1180; GS 1999; D4 516) + 1 Type 4: handstones (IVA.1182; GS 2001; D4 516) + 2 Type 5: grinder (GS 2000; D4 516) Types 21/1: balance weight/hammerstone (IVA.1189; GS 2057; D4 516) Types 21/5: balance weight/grinder (IVA.1190; GS 2328; D4 516)

Building C.10, Unit 3 Catalog Type 20. Basins IVA.1177 (GS 2314; Room 5, D4 1405.4). Basin. Threefourths extant. Dims. 0.301 x 0.206 x 0.158. Weight 10,400 g. Rectangular sandstone boulder with a hemispherical concavity (0.203 x 0.152 x 0.044) hollowed out by percussive and abrasive action. Concentric circles worn into the sloping walls of the concavity indicate the abrasive action within was carried out in a circular manner.

Building C. 10, Unit 4 Catalog Type 1a. Hammerstones IVA.1178 (GS 2002; Room 9, D4 516.3). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.105 x 0.083 x 0.039. Weight 505 g. Flat, subovoid limestone cobble with a large flake removed from one end and percussive use-wear on the other end and on one side; light pecking on one face. IVA.1179 (GS 1997; Room 9, D4 516.2). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.086 x 0.063 x 0.049. Weight 396 g. Rounded, subovoid limestone cobble with percussive use-wear on both ends.

GROUND STONE IMPLEMENTS

Type 2. Implements with Pecked Circumferences and One or Two Abraded Faces IVA.1180 (GS 1999; Room 9, D4 516.2). Hand-/ hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.091 x 0.078 x 0.037. Weight 402 g. Flat, subovoid limestone cobble with percussive damage on one side and lighter percussive wear around its margins and in the middle of one of its faces. IVA.1181 (GS 1976; Rooms 9–11, D4 506.2). Hand-/ hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.106 x 0.092 x 0.029. Weight 401 g. Flat, trapezoidal, green phyllite cobble with percussive use-wear across both its broadest and shortest margin. The sides of the tool are unworked, but one of its two flat faces appears to have been worn smooth from abrasion.

Type 4. Handstones IVA.1182 (GS 2001; Room 9, D4 516.1). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.190 x 0.076 x 0.074. Weight 1,523 g. Elongated subovoid limestone cobble with percussive use-wear on both ends and on one rounded side; another side is flat from abrasive use. IVA.1183 (GS 1978; Rooms 9–11, D4 506.2). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.118 x 0.092 x 0.044. Weight 682 g. Flat, triangular limestone cobble with two faces worn flat and smooth from abrasive use.

Type 5. Implements with Heavy Abrasive Wear IVA.1184 (GS 2058; Rooms 9–11, D4 506.2). Grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.072 x 0.071 x 0.048. Weight 188 g. Hand-sized, trapezoidal cobble of scoria with two probable working faces. This tool may have served as a source stone for abrasive powder. IVA.1185 (GS 1986; Rooms 9–11, D4 506.2). Grinder? Intact. Dims. 0.062 x 0.042 x 0.032. Weight 126 g. Small ovoid cobble of amigdaloid basalt lacking apparent use-wear. This stone is not found locally; its nearest known source is the Pindos Mountains in northwestern Greece.

421

Type 14. Querns IVA.1186 (GS 1984; Rooms 9–11, D4 506.2). Quern. One-half extant. Dims. 0.134 x 0.154 x 0.054. Weight 2,032 g. Flat, elongated limestone boulder with a quartz vein utilized as a grinding surface. IVA.1187 (GS 1991; Rooms 9–11, D4 506.2). Saddle quern. One-third extant. Dims. 0.152 x 0.123 x 0.064. Weight 2,218 g. Gray sandstone slab with a longitudinal concave depression across one face of the stone created by both percussion and abrasion. The flat depression (working surface) rises on the extant end and plateaus onto a handle. There is light percussive damage along the margin of the working surface, likely from the percussive activity employed in the creation of the slanting working surface. IVA.1188 (GS 1988; Rooms 9–11, D4 506.3). Quern. Intact. Dims. 0.229 x 0.149 x 0.069. Weight 3,571 g. Very large, flat, ovoid cobble of gray quartzite (granodiorite?) with a concave face created by abrasive use.

Type 21/Type 1. Balance Weights/ Hammerstones IVA.1189 (GS 2057; Room 9, D4 516.1). Balance weight/hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.059 x 0.068 x 0.050. Weight 392 g. Subcuboid cobble of iron-rich basalt with two faces flattened by percussive and abrasive action.

Type 21/Type 5. Balance Weights/ Grinders IVA.1190 (GS 2328; Room 9, D4 516.1). Weight/ grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.052 x 0.047 x 0.045. Weight 147 g. Sphendenoid, green sandstone cobble with probable abrasive use-wear over its entirety. IVA.1191 (GS 2321; Rooms 9–11, D4 506.3). Weight/ grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.047 x 0.048 x 0.041. Weight 133 g. Sphendenoid limestone cobble with possible abrasive use-wear.

Late Minoan III Shrine Nine ground stone implements were associated with the LM III shrine, but all probably belonged originally to the underlying Building 10 or to the roadside terrace that lay immediately above the shrine, and it is unlikely that any were actually used in the shrine, which was otherwise quite devoid of

any contents. They are made of ordinary material, limestone or green schist, with the exception of two subcuboid cobbles (IVA.1192, IVA.1193) that are purple basalt and may have served as balance weights at one time.

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JONATHAN M. FLOOD AND TRISTAN CARTER

LM III Shrine, Collapse

Type 6. Subcuboid Cobbles with Abraded Surfaces

LM III Shrine, Floor

IVA.1192 (GS 2054; LM III shrine, D4 1609.1). Balance weight/polisher. Intact. Dims. 0.041 x 0.038 x 0.037. Weight 90 g. A weathered, rectangular basalt cobble with worn edges and one face possibly worked flat by human agency. IVA.1193 (GS 2055; LM III shrine, D4 1609.1). Balance weight/polisher. Intact. Dims. 0.064 x 0.059 x 0.034. Weight 180 g. Subcuboid cobble of purple basalt with polished surfaces.

Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (GS 2023; D4 1602.2) Type 1a: hammerstone (GS 2018; D4 1609.1) Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (GS 2024; D4 1609.1) Type 4: handstones (GS 2019; D4 1609.1) + 2 Type 6: subcuboid balance weight or polisher (IVA.1193; GS 2055; D4 1609.1) + 1 Type 25: naturally perforated weight (GS 2020; D4 1609.1)

Building C.12 Rooms 1 and 4, the latter of which served as a kitchen, have the largest number of ground stone tools and the tools with the most obvious function, food processing. Both rooms contained a quern with at least one handstone for concurrent use. A sandstone basin was located in Room 4. Hammerstones of varying size and weight, found in both rooms, would have provided users with flexibility in applied percussive force. Only two ground stone tools were found in Room 2.

Room 2, Wall and Roof Collapse

Type 6b: subcuboid grinder/weight (IVA.1206; GS 2077; D4 2816.3)

Room 2, Floor

Type 1a: hammerstone (IVA.1196; GS 2076; D4 2817.1)

Room 1, Surface

Type 14b: work surface (GS 57; D4 2800.1)

Room 1, Wall and Roof Collapse

Type 1a: hammerstones (IVA.1194; GS 2086; D4 2801.1) + 1

Room 1, Floor

Type 1a: hammerstones (IVA.1195; GS 2083; D4 2801.6) + 3 Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (IVA.1199; GS 2079; D4 2801.5) + 1 Type 4: handstone (IVA.1202; GS 2081; D4 2813.1) Type 6b: subcuboid grinder/weight (IVA.1205; GS 2089; D4 2813.1) Type 14: quern (GS 2082; D4 2801.7)

Room 3, Surface and Collapse

Type 4: handstones (GS 2307; D4 2902.2) + 1

Room 4, Wall and Roof Collapse

Type 1a: hammerstone (GS 2074; D4 2905.2) + 2 Type 20: basin (GS 2355; D4 2905.2)

Room 4, Floor 2

Type 1a: hammerstone (IVA.1197; GS 2073; D4 2914.1) Type 14: saddle quern (IVA.1208; GS 2075; D4 2914.4)

Room 4, Floor 1

Type 1a: hammerstone (GS 2070; D4 2914.7) Type 4: handstone (IVA.1203; GS 2071; D4 2914.6)

Room 5, Floor

Type 1a: hammerstones (GS 2800; D4 1901.2) + 1 Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (IVA.1200; GS 2803; D4 2902.2) Type 4: handstone (IVA.1198; GS 2801; D4 1901.2) Type 14b: work surface/anvil? (GS 2802; D4 2901.2)

Room 5, Fill beneath Floor

Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (GS 2806; D4 2905.1) +1 Type 6b: subcuboid grinder/weight (IVA.1207; GS 2807; D4 1905.2)

Room 5, Trench

Type 1a: hammerstones (GS 2809; D4 2906) + 2 Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (GS 2813A; D4 2906)

Room 6, Surface and Collapse

Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (GS 2813B; D4 2916.1) +1

Room 6, Floor

Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (GS 2815; D4 2916.2– 3) + 2 Type 4: handstone (IVA.1204; GS 2816; D4 2916.2)

GROUND STONE IMPLEMENTS

Building C.12 Catalog Post-destruction shelter, Collapse

Type 2: hand-/hammerstones (IVA.1201; GS 2819; D4 2009) + 2 Type 4: handstone (GS 2822; D4 2009)

Type 1a. Hammerstones IVA.1194 (GS 2086; Room 1, D4 2801.1). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.167 x 0.058 x 0.049. Weight 774 g. Oblong, purple quartzite cobble with naturally flattened sides due to the cleavage plains of the rock; light percussive use-wear on one end and percussive damage on the other. IVA.1195 (GS 2083; Room 1, D4 2801.6). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.110 x 0.069 x 0.063. Weight 790 g. Rounded, ovoid limestone cobble with percussive use-wear from light pounding on both ends. Classic hammerstone. IVA.1196 (GS 2076; Room 2, D4 2817.1). Hammerstone. One-half extant. Dims. 0.118 x 0.054 x 0.044. Weight 416 g. Elongated subovoid, pink limestone cobble with percussive damage on both ends that resulted in the removal of sections of the stone. Pitting along the fractures edge indicates that the tool continued to be employed in percussive activities after sections of the body broke. IVA.1197 (GS 2073; Room 4, D4 2914.1). Hammerstone. Three-fourths extant. Dims. 0.102 x 0.063 x 0.029. Weight 330 g. Oblong limestone cobble with two faces weathered flat naturally and one end broken from percussive human agency. IVA.1198 (GS 2801; Room 5, D4 1901.2). Hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.104 x 0.067 x 0.064. Weight 665 g. Rounded, subovoid cobble of rudist limestone—a type of limestone formed from the relics of a great reef of rudists that once lined the Tethys Sea (A rudist is a bivalve mollusk, which formed columns resembling reefs in the Cretaceous period.)—with light percussive use on one end.

Type 2. Implements with Pecked Circumferences and One or Two Abraded Faces IVA.1199 (GS 2079; Room 1, D4 2801.5). Hand-/ hammerstone. One-half extant. Dims. 0.099 x 0.057 x 0.038. Weight 367 g. Flat, ovoid limestone cobble with pecking around the outer margins and central depressions on both sides of the stone created by light percussion. IVA.1200 (GS 2803; Room 5, D4 2902.2). Hand-/ hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.0940 x 0.0850 x 0.0029. Weight 371 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with two broad faces naturally worn smooth and flat. A small circular depression is pecked into the center of one face (0.003 x 0.003 x 0.001), and there is light pecking on the opposite side, not yet a depression. The tool was used as a handheld cobble mortar.

423

IVA.1201 (GS 2819; post-destruction shelter, D4 2009.2). Hand-/hammerstone. Intact. Dims. 0.111 x 0.080 x 0.064. Weight 837 g. Subtrapezoidal, dome-shaped limestone cobble with two faces worn flat and two large flakes removed from each end during episodes of percussive use.

Type 4. Handstones IVA.1202 (GS 2081; Room 1, D4 2813.1). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.120 x 0.089 x 0.049. Weight 1,045 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with two faces worn flat and smooth by abrasion; its periphery is pitted and rough from percussive use. This stone was likely used in conjunction with the quern found in this room. IVA.1203 (GS 2071; Room 4, D4 2914.6). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.112 x 0.089 x 0.040. Weight 662 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with two faces worn totally flat and mostly smooth from abrasion. The tool has traces of pecking around its outer margin and in one of the flat faces; one flake is missing from heavier percussive use. This stone was likely used with the saddle quern recovered in this room (IVA.1208). IVA.1204 (GS 2816; Room 6, D4 2916.3). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.097 x 0.078 x 0.065. Weight 727 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with abrasive wear on two of the three-sided stone’s flat faces. There is light percussive pitting across the entire exterior of the stone.

Type 6a. Subcuboid Cobbles with Abraded Surfaces IVA.1205 (GS 2089; Room 1, D4 2813.1). Subcuboid grinder/weight. Intact. Dims. 0.054 x 0.053 x 0.041. Weight 220 g. Subcuboid, dense, dolomite cobble with one surface worn flat and all others rounded by light percussion to create smooth four-sided dome. The center of the flat base is worn smooth; all four corners of its base are missing flakes from heavy abrasive use. IVA.1206 (GS 2077; Room 2, D4 2816.3). Subcuboid grinder/weight. Intact. Dims. 0.067 x 0.051 x 0.054. Weight 333 g. Subcuboid diabase cobble with six sides worked mostly flat by light percussion and/or abrasion. Traces of pecking can be seen on two faces. Three faces have been worn nearly smooth by abrasion. IVA.1207 (GS 2807; Room 5, D4 1905.2). Subcuboid grinder/weight. Intact. Dims. 0.067 x 0.051 x 0.038. Weight 197 g. Subcuboid dolomite cobble with light percussive and abrasive damage on its broadest face.

Type 14a: Querns IVA.1208 (GS 2075; Room 4, 2914.4). Saddle quern. One-half extant. Dims. 0.239 x 0.236 x 0.049. Weight 3,394 g. Oblong slab of gray sandstone with a concave depression on one face worn smooth from abrasive use.

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Building D.7 Building D.7 produced 12 ground stone tools, all from LM IB contexts. Four of these were sandstone basins, three of which were being used in Room 1, perhaps for specialized grinding and pulverizing tasks (IVA.1217–IVA.1219). One had been turned over to serve as a seat, rather like the first basin in Room 6 of House C.2. The basin in Room 3 (IVA.1220) is more a large mortar than a metate/ grinding surface. Its morphology suggests that it was used for a different function than those in Room 1, and from ethnographic parallels it may be conjectured that it was used for the shelling of grain or nuts, a necessary step before grinding the seeds into flour. The location of the basins also conforms to a recurring spatial pattern at Mochlos. These heavy objects are typically stored on the ground level floor in the corners of rooms, as they were in the Artisans’ Quarter (Carter 2004, 78). They are heavy pieces, not easily transported, so the activity associated with these basins almost certainly occurred in the rooms where they lay. Strangely, only one handstone was recovered from Room 1 with the three basins. More were found in Room 3, along with a hammerstone and hand-/hammerstone. Besides the basins, the celt (IVA.1221) recovered in Room 1 is the most noteworthy ground stone object. The small dolerite tool likely belonged to a member of the Early Minoan community at Mochlos. The circumstances that caused it to end up in a clear Neopalatial context are unclear, but the tool is another example of Late Minoan antique collection (cf. Soles 2003, 57). The building lacks variety in stone tool types. Its assemblage is overwhelmingly domestic and focused on pulverizing and material reduction for food preparation.

D.7, Surface Type 1a: hammerstone (IVA.1210; GS 2066; D4/ D5 40/3101.1)

D.7, Room 1, Upper Floor Collapse Type 4: handstone (IVA.1212; GS 2065; D4 40/ 3103.3)

D.7, Room 1, Floor

Type 20: basins (IVA.1218; GS 2363; D4/D5 40/ 3108.2) + 2 Type 28: celt (IVA.1221; GS 2346; D4/D5 40/3108.2)

D.7, Room 3, Floor 2

Type 1a: hammerstone (IVA.1209; GS 2068; D4/D5 40/3106.1) Type 2: hand-/hammerstone (IVA.1211; GS 2334; D4/D5 40/3106.1) Type 4: handstones (IVA.1213; GS 2335; D4/D5 40/ 3106.1) + 1 Type 5: grinder (IVA.1214; GS 2332; D4/D5 40/ 3106.1) Type 9: polisher (IVA.1215; GS 2067; D4/D5 40/ 3106.1)

D.7, Room 3, Floor 1

Type 20: basin (IVA.1220; GS 2365; D4 40/3106.2)

D.7, Exterior Space on East

Type 6a: polisher/balance weight (IVA.1216; GS 2315; 40/3105.2)

Building D.7 Catalog Type 1a. Hammerstones IVA.1209 (GS 2068; Room 3, D4/D5 40/3106.1). Hammerstone. Four-fifths extant. Dims. 0.079 x 0.087 x 0.054. Weight 563 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with light percussive use-wear around its margins and several flakes missing on one end from more powerful strikes. IVA.1210 (GS 2066; surface, D4/D5 40/3101.1). Hammerstone. Four-fifths extant. Dims. 0.143 x 0.074 x 0.071. Weight 1,232 g. Elongated subovoid cobble with percussive damage on both ends. The tool has a single flat face possibly from abrasive use.

Type 2. Implements with Pecked Circumferences and One or Two Abraded Faces IVA.1211 (GS 2334; Room 3, D4/D5 40/3106.1). Hand-/hammerstone. Four-fifths extant. Dims. 0.077 x 0.069 x 0.033. Weight 240 g. Flat, subcircular limestone cobble with pecking around its margins, a central depression pecked into one of its abraded faces, and a large flake missing from one side as a result of heavy percussive use.

Type 4. Handstones IVA.1212 (GS 2065; Room 1, D4/D5 40/3103.3). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.100 x 0.069 x 0.057. Weight 657 g. Subovoid limestone cobble with abrasive usewear on both ends and traces of pecking across one face; its other face has been worn flat and smooth by abrasion.

GROUND STONE IMPLEMENTS

IVA.1213 (GS 2335; Room 2, D4/D5 40/3106.1). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.150 x 0.122 x 0.087. Weight 2,398 g. Subovoid cobble with a flat base from abrasive use, domed top, and large flakes missing from two margins.

Type 5. Implements with Heavy Abrasive Wear IVA.1214 (GS 2332; Room 2, D4/D5 40/3106.1). Grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.106 x 0.079 x 0.037. Weight 304 g. Flat, subovoid limestone cobble with heavy abrasive wear on both faces.

Type 6. Subcuboid Cobbles with Abraded Surfaces IVA.1215 (GS 2067; Room 3, D4/D5 40/3106.1). Polisher. Intact. Dims. 0.059 x 0.069 x 0.036. Weight 201 g. Subovoid dolomite cobble with two flat and smooth sides. IVA.1216 (GS 2315; Room 3, D4/D5 40/3105.2). Subcuboid polisher/balance weight. One-half extant. Dims. 0.063 x 0.037 x 0.040. Weight 179 g. Subcuboid dolomite cobble with extant surfaces worn smooth from light abrasion.

Type 20. Basins IVA.1217 (GS 2362; Room 1, D4/D5 40/3108.2; Fig. 174). Basin. Intact. In situ. Dims. 0.38 x 0.40 x 0.24. Weight >10,000 g. Subovoid sandstone boulder with a

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circular cavity pecked and abraded into one face of the stone. The cavity measures 0.20 x 0.22 x 0.15. IVA.1218 (GS 2363; Room 1, D4/D5 40/3108.2; Fig. 174). Basin. Intact. In situ. Dims. 0.35 x 0.38 x 0.16. Weight >10,000 g. Sandstone boulder with a circular cavity pecked and abraded into one surface of the stone. The cavity measures 0.14 x 0.14 x 0.07. IVA.1219 (GS 2364; Room 1, D4/D5 40/3108.2; Fig. 174; Pl. 114). Basin. Intact. In situ. Dims. 0.35 x 0.26 x 0.17. Weight >10,000 g. Subrectangular sandstone basin with a circular cavity pecked and abraded into one of its sides. The cavity measures 0.15 x 0.21 x 0.08. IVA.1220 (GS 2365; Room 3, D4/D5 40/3106.2; Fig. 174; Pl. 114). Basin. Intact. In situ. Dims. 0.62 x 0.50 x 0.30. Weight >10,000 g. Sandstone boulder with a circular cavity pecked and abraded into one surface of the stone. The cavity measures 0.21 x 0.24 x 0.13.

Type 28. Axe IVA.1221 (GS 2346; Room 1, D4/D5 40/3108.2). Celt. Intact. Dims. 0.048 x 0.044 x 0.033. Weight 112 g. Dolerite cobble with two opposing facets abraded flat and smooth culminating in a blade along the tool’s broadest margin. Percussive use across the butt of the tool creates a plane face perpendicular to the blade edge; from the side the tool appears subtrapezoidal. The blade itself exhibits considerable percussive damage, being both pitted and flaked. Its margins are not notched, so it is unclear whether the celt was hafted or used directly by hand.

Temenos Only two ground stone implements were found in the temenos, a grinder from Room 1 (IVA.1223) and a handstone (IVA.1222) from Room 3. The stones, which may be random finds, indicate that the normal food preparation activities carried out in the Mochlos houses were not performed here. More problematic is the find of a sepentinite bore core (IVA.1224) and dross (IVA.1225) from stone vase making on the terrace floor of the temenos. Given the location of an unfinished stone vessel (IVA.458) in the adjacent Building D.7, it is just possible that someone used the terrace floor or the court in front of the temenos to work stone vessels, in which case the nearby grinder and handstone may have been used for this purpose. The grinder, made of andesite, is just the sort of exotic material that a Mochlos stone vase maker preferred in his

tool kit. There is no indication for a workshop on the spot, however, but perhaps there may have been part-time activity.

Temenos, Terrace Floor

Type 26: bore core (IVA.1224; S 821; D5 32/3301.2) Type 26: stone vase dross (IVA.1225; GS 2316; D5 32/3301.2)

Temenos, Northwest Room, Floor

Type 5: grinder (IVA.1223; GS 2064; D5 32/3307)

Temenos, East Room, Floor

Type 4: handstone (IVA.1222; GS 2061; D533/4302)

Temenos, Votive Deposit

Type 1a: hammerstone (GS 2060; D5 32/3304.1)

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Type 4. Handstones

Type 26. Bore Core and Dross

IVA.1222 (GS 2061; Room 3, D5 33/4302.5). Handstone. Intact. Dims. 0.170 x 0.112 x 0.061. Weight 1,814 g. Flat, ovoid, limestone cobble with its two faces worn flat and percussive use on its narrowest end.

IVA.1224 (S 821; terrace, D5 32/3301.2). Bore core. Pres. h. 0.016, d. 0.019. Dark greenish-gray serpentinite with gray veins. Fragment of a bore core from a stone vase. Broken at one end, clear concentric rings along the sides from the tubular drill. One end broken at one side, traces of a perpendicular drill cut and polishing. IVA.1225 (GS 2316; terrace, D5 32/3301.2). Dross from stone vessel manufacturing. Fragmented. Dims. 0.017 x 0.009 x 0.009. Weight 2 g. An irregularly shaped black steatite fragment with grooves worn into four of its six sides.

Type 6. Subcuboid Cobbles with Abraded Surfaces IVA.1223 (GS 2064; Room 1, D5 32/3307.1). Subcuboid grinder. Intact. Dims. 0.067 x 0.062 x 0.053. Weight 326 g. Subcuboid andesite cobble with abrasive use-wear on one side creating a nearly flat face. The tool also has traces of percussive use-wear on the other side, likely intended to create a somewhat rounded top for ease of handling.

Conclusions The ground stone assemblages from the houses at Mochlos are largely grinding implements. They belong to grinding kits that show a consistent pattern in type and distribution and represent a cultural uniformity between the different households, along with a degree of self-reliance and a value placed on privacy, ownership, and intergroup competition.

Other ground stone items communicate additional household tasks. Most houses also contained several suspension weights, probably for use with looms or fishing nets, hammerstones for general pounding and pulverizing, several elongated stones for the transfer and application of pastes or other material, and balance weights for weighing metal or other commodities.

9

The Plasters Polly Westlake

Introduction Because of its versatility, durability, and relative ease of manufacture, lime plaster was used abundantly in Minoan architecture from at least the Protopalatial period onward (Westlake 2012). Fragments of polychrome wall plaster with bands, floral designs, and imitation stone decoration are frequently found in palatial and nonpalatial buildings contemporary with the houses at Mochlos (for Knossos, Warren 2000, 365–367; for Pseira, Shaw 1998; for Kommos, Shaw 2006b, 127, 220–225; for Tylissos, Hazzidakis 1921, 62–63, pls. 7–9). Differences in role, function, and status of the buildings, however, ought to be borne in mind when comparing the internal decoration of the Mochlos houses with that of the civic buildings at Kommos, the Tylissos villa, or structures associated with palatial sites, such as the North Building on the Stratigraphical Museum site at Knossos. The relatively small quantity of plaster from Mochlos, therefore, raises the question: does this reflect a real difference between the decoration

of internal spaces in the Mochlos houses and other contemporary buildings, or is it simply the result of poor preservation? Of particular note is the rarity of polychrome wall decoration, especially given the quality of the exterior ashlar construction of so many houses. While adverse environmental conditions, as well as the later periods of occupation at the site, certainly played a large role in the deterioration and loss of architectural elements, the houses may have been characterized by a simpler style of internal decoration. Most plaster finds from the Mochlos houses are unpainted or monochrome red-painted wall plaster and floor plaster. Fragments are of high quality and demonstrate several interesting modifications to the traditional lime plaster formula. Rare examples of polychrome plaster occur on movable objects, such as the plaster offering table fragments (IVA.450) that preserve traces of yellow pigment above a red background.

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Methodology The present study began with a review of all plaster finds from the excavation in order to determine the extent and distribution of the material. Significant plaster fragments (according to size, plaster layer stratigraphy, pigments, and morphology of fragments) were identified and cataloged. Examination with stereomicroscopy was then undertaken. Observations were made regarding surface texture, thickness of paint application, nature of tools used for application, and preparation of the uppermost plaster layer. Where fragments had clean breaks, observation of cross-sections also yielded information regarding the number and thickness of plaster layers. The next phase of the study consisted

of pigment and plaster characterization with noninvasive and microinvasive analytical techniques. Analysis with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) using a mobile analytical instrument constructed by Foundation for Research and Technology–Hellas, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (FORTH-IESL) enabled comparisons to be made with pigments employed elsewhere on the site, as well as with locally available materials. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) verified the results from LIBS, in addition to providing results that are directly comparable to those obtained for a variety of Bronze Age sites due to the relatively widespread use of XRF for pigment analysis.

Summary of Visual Analysis Walls and Floors Most of the plaster comes from House C.3, where two very distinctive types of plaster were found. A large amount of red painted plaster (IVA.1233) was found in Room 1.3, fallen from Room 2.4, while an unpainted plaster with bluish-gray coloring matter added to the lime (IVA.1229) came from Room 2.3. It seems likely that both plaster types once adorned the same room. That IVA.1233 was originally applied to a wall is suggested by the way the fragments fell (most were discovered oriented painted surface downward), and by the faint impressions of the (probable timber) architectural feature that it abutted. Some of the larger fragments, those with one flat edge of plaster, join to create a fragment approximately 0.20 x 0.15 m, although the total area of these fragments is much larger. The assemblage has a particularly interesting stratigraphy with two very distinct layers of plaster. The first (lower) layer is a lime-rich plaster, with few inorganic inclusions and the white appearance commonly found in Minoan plasters. It is a thin, unpainted layer, approximately 0.03–0.04 m thick. The upper plaster layer consists of a high concentration of large pinkish-red particles within the lime matrix, giving the plaster a pink hue and a much stronger, denser consistency. This layer is also thicker, on average 0.07 m.

Similar pink-colored plasters have been found elsewhere on Crete. It was found in situ in the northwest building of Block M, Palaikastro (Westlake 2012, 296–297), while a sounding in Quartier Nu, Malia also produced this type of plaster (Westlake 2012–2013). The earliest known example from an EM III–MM IA building on Kastri (Sackett, Popham, and Warren 1965, 274 n. 55) is cited by Cameron, who notes that such plasters continued in use until MM III (Cameron 1976, 13). To date, Mochlos yields the latest example of this distinctive material, which differs from the other examples in its probable use as wall rather than floor plaster (as well as the underlying white plaster layer). A large assemblage of mostly nonjoining fragments, IVA.1229, has a stratigraphy similar to IVA.1233. Two cycles of decoration are again evident: the first (lower) layer is a thin white lime render (average thickness 0.04 m) with a red paint layer; the second plaster layer is still lime based, but with a very high concentration of a bluish-gray material that dramatically alters the texture, optical appearance, and properties of the plaster. A high quantity of soft, black, fibrous particles (almost certainly carbonized plant material), ranging in size from 0.1–0.5 mm, can be seen under magnification. Examination of a similar bluish-gray plaster, from Hellenistic contexts of the Unexplored Mansion at

THE PLASTERS

Knossos, clearly showed that a high concentration of carbon (ash) had been intentionally mixed into the lime (Westlake et al. 2012). Further study of the addition of materials such as ash and terra rossa to lime plaster in Bronze Age Crete would contribute to our understanding of the intended architectural position/function of these plasters. It is these particles that, when mixed with the white lime, create the bluish-gray hue of the plaster. The final surface appears to be a discrete intonaco layer, consisting of the same mixture as the plaster layer, with a high polish finish. The use of this material as a surface layer, in place of a paint layer, certainly suggests that the plaster was appreciated for its optical qualities. Bluish-gray plaster of this thickness and consistency seems to be unique to Mochlos in this period. Many fragments of floor plaster with this characteristic bluish-gray color are found in Building 1, Palaikastro, from both LM IB and LM II–III contexts (Westlake 2019). The Palaikastro examples, however, are much thicker (up to 0.08 m), have a high concentration of carefully selected inclusions that are also visible on the surface, and have a less granular, more durable consistency. It is interesting to note that both IVA.1233 and IVA.1229, probably from the same area of C.3, show a phase of redecoration, and in both cases a simple white lime plaster was overlaid with a pigmented, modified layer. Although the bluish-gray plaster of IVA.1229 was polished and used as final surface, the pink plaster of IVA.1233 was obscured by a thickly applied red paint layer, suggesting that the color of the underlying plaster was incidental in this case. It seems likely, therefore, that these inclusions were functional as well as aesthetic. A pure lime plaster without inclusions of sand, animal hair, shell, or other materials will crack on drying (in fact, many small drying cracks and a powdery decohesive texture are evident on the lower, white layer of IVA.1229). Some plant ash and clays improve the physical properties of lime plaster. They are mildly pozzolanic and will impart hydraulic properties and greater strength to the plaster (Cowper 1998, 46), so their addition to the plaster demonstrates a good understanding of the behavior of these materials and a desire to experiment and improve the performance of available building materials. The appearance of the distinctive pink-colored plaster at other Minoan sites indicates that ideas concerning the materials and

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techniques were exchanged, even for this simple form of internal decoration. Evidence for a further type of floor plaster is seen in IVA.1238 from House C.2. Here, fragments of white lime plaster, red painted and with a distinctive shallow U-shaped profile, strongly resemble those identified elsewhere as interstices between paving slabs, such as in the Main Hall (79) of the North Residential Quarter at Phaistos and in Xeste 3 at Akrotiri (Palyvou 2005, 124–125; Shaw 2006b, 150–151). A fragment of painted plaster (IVA.1230), from Room 2.3 of House C.3, is one of only two or three examples of polychrome architectural decoration. It differs from all other fragments so far discovered at Mochlos in terms of the quality of both the paint layer and the plaster. Small patches of a yellow pigment were applied above a deep orangish-red background, and the surface was highly polished. Too little remains to reconstruct the composition, although seemingly randomly placed dots of one color above a painted background could point to imitation stone decoration. Impressions from the (probable timber) support are preserved on the reverse. Due to the unusual wedge shape of the plaster (0.08 m thick at one end, 0.015 m at the other), IVA.1230 probably abutted a door or window with a wooden frame. The same pinkish-red plaster of IVA.1233 is seen on IVA.1230, although the texture of the plaster is less coarse. A fine layer of white lime plaster (0.01–0.03 m thick) functioned as an intonaco layer to prepare a suitable surface for painting.

Ceiling and Construction Plasters None of the plaster found in the houses can be definitively categorized as ceiling plaster, as would be indicated by impressions of reeds or beams preserved in the plaster (Palyvou 2005, 126–127, fig. 182) or by the identifiable triangular shapes described by Shaw in her discussion of ceiling plasters from Kommos (Shaw 2006b, 204–205, pls. 2.23, 2.24, 2.26–2.28). Very small, deteriorated, amorphous fragments of plaster were found in several contexts, especially from C.2, Room 6, and throughout C.3, which may originally have been coarse construction plaster used for sealing, stabilizing, and/or packing or, alternatively, may represent deteriorated wall or floor plaster.

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A large amount of a naturally occurring, amorphous, calcareous material has been excavated and collected from contexts throughout the Mochlos town (see Pl. 115:a). As there does not seem to be a source for this material on the island of Mochlos itself, it appears that it was either seaborne or was collected for use as a building material (either to make lime plaster or as packing for ceilings or floors).

Plaster Objects Fragments of a fine, polychrome plaster table were found in the area of House C.3, Room 1.4 (IVA.450). Two solid plaster cones belonging to table legs (Pl. 98) were discovered in association with a small group of fragments with characteristic 7-shaped profile—from the application of plaster around a core structure with right angled edges. Traces of yellow pigment are visible on the upper, finer plaster layer of the legs, which overlies a coarser plaster with inclusions of fairly large sandgravel as well as organic matter. Because of the gradient of the curved edges of these fragments, the table has been hypothetically reconstructed as

being rectangular with rounded corners, probably supported on four legs. Square offering tables with four conical plaster legs were similarly reconstructed from material at Kommos, contrasting with the more elongated legs that were associated with circular, tripod tables (Shaw 2006a, 762– 764, pl. 4.38). Manufacture of the table legs differs, however, as those from Kommos were constructed around a central soil core, whereas those from Mochlos have no inner core and must have been created in a mold. Fragments found together with the legs consist of nearly pure lime plaster with a low concentration of fine inclusions. Impressions of an angular support, probably constructed from soil and stones, are visible on the reverse of some fragments. A few fragments have a highly polished red-painted surface, and because of the sharp right-angled curves, appear to come from the uppermost surface of the table. Other fragments are predominantly yellow with details in red and blue; they curve less steeply and probably formed part of the base of the table. No pattern is discernible.

Results of Archaeometric Analyses Pigment characterization with the nondestructive analytical techniques of LIBS and XRF revealed a limited palette of iron-rich soil pigments (Table 14). Spectra for red and yellow pigments were compared to those from a naturally occurring, highly pigmented marly stone that was found in the Artisans’ Quarter (GS 693) in order to investigate potential sources for the materials used for painting. Results from the red pigments were inconclusive, but the unusual presence of lead (trace amounts) detected by XRF in both the yellow paint layer and the yellow pigment from the stone suggest that this material may have been the source of the painting

pigment and was collected and stored at the site for this purpose. A few anomalous fragments were found with the assemblage of fragments IVA.1229, which had very pale green, powdery surface layers. The elemental composition of this material was found to be like that of the yellow and red pigments, suggesting a green soil was used. While this material is found in Crete and was used in later (Roman) periods (Westlake et al. 2012), it is not found in the Minoan palette, in which admixtures of yellow soil and Egyptian blue are typically used to create green tones.

Conservation A policy of minimal intervention was followed in the conservation of the plaster fragments. Support systems used during excavation to lift plaster from

the site were removed (acetone to remove gauze adhered with Paraloid B72, mechanical removal of gypsum plaster support by fine drill and scalpel).

THE PLASTERS

Where necessary, fragments were cleaned using a mixture of water and ethanol to minimize any effects of water on the plaster. Consolidation of plaster was avoided; instead, fragments were supported

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by specially constructed storage containers. During the years that these fragments have been stored, they have been regularly monitored, and no changes are apparent in their condition.

Catalog House C.3 IVA.1226 (Pl 3; Room 2.1, E3 6875.1–3). Floor plaster. Approximately 10 fragments of same type as IVA.1229, almost certainly from same scheme. IVA.1227 (Pl 18; Room 2.2, LM IA collapse, E3 58/6822.3–11). Floor plaster. Large amount of small, unpainted white lime plaster fragments. This fine, thin plaster (th. 0.080–0.012 m) shows none of the sandgravel inclusions that typically characterize floor plasters; rather, very fine silt-sand and impressions of finely chopped vegetal inclusions are visible. Reverse of fragments is very flat, indicating a well-packed soil support. Most fragments preserve a highly polished surface. Those fragments with rough surfaces may have suffered damage during use and/or burial. A few small fragments of fine white lime plaster, red painted, and a small fragment (0.020 x 0.014 m) with good solid yellow paint layer above white lime plaster are also present. IVA.1228 (Pl 19, Pl 20; Room 2.2, LM IA collapse, E3 58/6822.8). Two fragments removed from the soil using gauze and consolidants (Paraloid B72) and gauze with gypsum plaster, respectively. Once the gauze was removed, Pl 19 was revealed to be two fragments of the same type of plaster as IVA.1233. The larger of these fragments is approximately 0.040 x 0.025 m, the smaller is 0.028 x 0.022 m. They preserve traces of a thick, matte red paint layer (ca. 0.0005 m thick), but due to surface damage it is not possible to see whether this layer was originally polished. Object Pl 20 consisted of a few fragments, again of the same type as IVA.1233, in layers surrounded by burial debris. These layers resulted from collapse rather than from successive layers of application or intentional stacking. In some areas of the block of plaster and soil, up to four layers of plaster are visible: a thin white layer, a thin pink layer, a second thin white layer, and a thick layer of coarse white construction plaster containing small stones and gravel inclusions. IVA.1229 (Pl 36; Room 2.3, LM IA floor, E3 5905.6; Pl. 115:b). Large assemblage of painted and unpainted plaster fragments. Most of these fragments preserve two cycles of decoration: the lower layer of thin lime plaster (avg th. 0.004 m) with a high concentration of very fine organic inclusions, red painted; and the upper plaster layer lime with a very high concentration of black, ashy particles (ranging in size from 0.5 mm) and a bluish-gray hue to the plaster. A high organic content

is also visible in the upper layer. Surface polished, but unpainted. IVA.1230 (Pl 37; Room 2.3, LM IA floor, E3 5905.6; Pl. 116:b). Fragment of high quality paint and plaster layers from the same locus as IVA.1229. Small patches of yellow decoration overlie a red background, and the surface has a high-polish finish. Impressions from a (timber?) support are preserved on the reverse. Fragment IVA.1230 probably abutted a door or window with a wooden frame. The same pinkish-red plaster of IVA.1233 is seen on IVA.1230, although the texture of the plaster is less coarse. A fine layer of white lime plaster (0.001–0.003 m thick) functioned as an intonaco layer to prepare a suitable surface for painting IVA.1231 (Pl 38; Room 1.1 collapse from Room 2.5, E3 4810, 4828, 4829; Pls. 15A, 115:a). Many very small fragments of unpainted white lime plaster, smaller than 0.01 m2. Also many naturally occurring, amorphous pieces of calcareous material. This material may have been collected and used for roofing. IVA.1232 (Pl 39; Room 1.1 floor, E3 4830). Two very small red painted fragments, one with granular, pinkcolored plaster, one with white plaster. Similar smallsized, lightweight material was distributed throughout the site and cannot provide much evidence for the original location of the decoration, but it likely came from the room above, as the basement room showed no other traces of having been plastered. IVA.1233 (Pl 2; collapse from Room 2.4 above Room 1.3, E3 5705.7; Pls. 14D, 116:a). Large assemblage of painted wall plaster. Large (reconstructed) fragment ca. 0.20 x 0.15 m. Many fragments found oriented with the painted surface downward. Timber(?) impressions along flat plaster edge. Lowest layer (th. 0.003–0.004 m) of white lime plaster with few inorganic inclusions. Upper layer (th. ca. 0.007 m) has high concentration of large pinkred soil particles within lime matrix, creating a pink hue, and a much stronger, denser consistency to plaster. IVA.1234 (Pl 4; Room 1.3, E3 5729.2–5). Two fragments of white lime plaster (0.023 x 0.022 x 0.02 and 0.032 x 0.025 x 0.08 m) with thick red paint layers, highly polished. Found in the same area as IVA.1233. IVA.1235 (Pl 25, Room 1.4 fill beneath floor, E3 3954+3957; Pl. 116:c). Assemblage of curved, painted plaster fragments found with offering table IVA.450 (0.040 x 0.025 x 0.015; 0.022 x 0.019 x 0.017; 0.031 x 0.033

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x 0.018; 0.045 x 0.051 x 0.021; 0.061 x 0.025 x 0.016 m). Fine lime plaster with few inorganic inclusions of fine particle size. Very fine intonaco layer applied above. Impressions from angular support on reverse. Some fragments have highly polished red painted surface, others are predominantly yellow and blue.

House C.1 IVA.1236 (Pl 1A, Pl IB; vestibule and stairs, collapse; F3 9901.3, 9928.2; Pl. 25C). Painted plaster fragments (21–24 months

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1 P4 stage 12S

Old

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1 P4 stage 15A

Old

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2 dp4 stage 22L

21–24 months

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1 dp4 stage 14L

Young

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1 dp4 stage 13L