ANTIQUITY present in south-east Europe after its earliest from the Near East via the Balkans and the occurrence in Asia Minor, but some thousand Danube’. Until the plant husbandry of Meso- years before its previously first-documented lithic settlements in Europe is investigated appearance in Europe. This discovery would more fully, however, we cannot be certain that appear to confirm Helbaek‘s hypothesis (1960) flax was not developed as an indigenous rather that ‘flax reached central and western Europe than an introduced cultivar. BERTSCH,K. and F. BERTSCH. 1949. Geschichte unserer 1969. Plant collecting, dry farming and irrigation Kulturpfansen (Stuttgart). in prehistoric Deh Luran, in F. Hole, K. V. BROUWER,w. and A. STAHLIN. 1955. Handbuch der Flannery and J. A. Neely, Prehistory and human Samenkunde (Frankfurt). ecoZogy of the Deh Luran plain (Mem. Mus. DENNELL,R. w. 1972. The interpretation of plant Anthrop. Univ. Michigan, I: Ann Arbor). remains: Bulgaria, in (ed.) E. S. Higgs, Papers RENFREW, J. M. 1973. Pdaeoethnobotany (London). in economic prehistory (Cambridge), 149-59. TUTIN, T. G., V. H. HEYWOOD et a[. 1968. Flora Europea. HELBAEK,H. 1960. The palaeoethnobotany of the vol. z (Cambridge). Near East and Europe, in R. J. Braidwood and ZEIST,w. VAN. 1972. Palaeobotanical results of the B. Howe, Prehistoric inoestigations in Iraqi 1972 season at Cayonii, Turkey, Helinium, XII, Kurdistan (Chicago), 99-1 18. 1, 3-19.

The Cretan ‘hornet’ pendant PLATE xxvrb Professor 0. W. Richards, FRS, Emeritus common in gardens and sometimes build their Professor of Zoology and Applied Entomology, small combs under the eaves of sheds or houses. Imperial College, London, sends us this There is a species of hornet in Crete (Vespa interesting note on the Cretan golden pendant orientalis) but the base of the abdomen of the commonly described as representing two hornets. hornet is much more truncate, falling perpen- This beautiful golden pendant preserved in the dicularly to the point where it is attached to the museum at Heraklion came from the cemetery thorax. The abdomen of Polistes tapers quite of Mallia (17th century BC) (PL. xxvrb, left). The gradually to its point of attachment and the postcard commonly obtained in Crete describes pendant gives a very reasonable though some- the insects as bees which is certainly incorrect. what schematized representation of the insect. Reynold Higgins, in Minoan and Mycenean art It is possible that some details of other insects (London, 1967) illustrates the pendant in have been incorporated and certain features colour, calls the insects hornets (as do other (e.g. the crenellate wing-margin) have been authors) and dates it from 1700-1550 BC. added purely for decorative effect. The nest of To an entomologist, it is clear that the Polistes humilis, an Australian species, illus- insects represented are not bees and almost trated here, gives a somewhat inadequate idea certainly not hornets, but very likely a social of what I am talking about, but there is one wasp of the genus Polistes. These wasps have wasp in profile at the back (marked with a white no English name as they do not occur in Eng- arrow) that gives some idea of its shape land though the Germans call them ‘Feld- (PL. xxvrb, right).* wespen’. There are several common species in *We apologize to Professor Richards for adding the Mediterranean which would be indis- to his difficulty in obtaining a good photograph by tinguishable to the layman. They can be quite not being able to print it in colour. (Ed.). Archaeology at Lancaster University The purpose of this note is to report briefly on degree courses are now planned to begin in the development of archaeological studies at 1974-5. The development is taking place in the Lancaster University. The University has for Department of Classics-now renamed the some time been keen to establish archaeology as Department of Classics and Archaeology- a degree subject and, with recent appointments, under Professor M. M. Willcock. There are

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PLATE XXIV: A JADE AXE FROhI THE SOhIERSET LEVELS (a)Discovery of thejadeite axeduring excavationson the Sweet track,Somerset. (b) Stone axes from the Sweet track. Left,jint axe; right, jadeite axe.The length of thejadeite axe is 203 mm.

See pp. 216-20 Photos, John Coles

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