Review of Aegean Prehistory III: Crete from Earliest Prehistory through the Protopalatial Period Author(s): L. Vance Watrous Reviewed work(s): Source: American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 98, No. 4 (Oct., 1994), pp. 695-753 Published by: Archaeological Institute of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/506551 . Accessed: 25/03/2012 05:32 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Archaeological Institute of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Journal of Archaeology. http://www.jstor.org Review of Aegean Prehistory III: Crete from Earliest Prehistory through the ProtopalatialPeriod L. VANCEWATROUS Dedicatedto Sinclair Hood INTRODUCTION material.' One of the main obstacles in under- standing pre- and protopalatial Crete is that a high This article has three aims: 1) to present the basic proportion of the published material is from un- framework of Minoan archaeology from earliest stratified and poorly dated tomb groups excavated prehistory through the Middle Minoan II period, 2) early in this century. For this reason I have given to highlight recent work done on these periods, and first priority to setting out the primary evidence in 3) to discuss some of the broader issues raised by this correct chronological sequence. In this respect, this Publication of this review and of the previous two re- The following abbreviationsare used in this article: views in this series was made possible by a generous grant Andreou S. Andreou, Pottery Groups of the Old to AJA by the Institute for Aegean Prehistory. The editors Palace Period in Crete (Diss. Univ. of and I are grateful for this support. Cincinnati 1978). I would also like to acknowledge the help of the Branigan K. Branigan, Aegean Metalwork of the following scholars who have personally taken me around Early and Middle Bronze Age (Oxford their site and explained it to me and have generously 1974). given me permission to reproduce illustrations of their Chronology P Warren and V. Hankey, Aegean work: P Betancourt (Pseira), K. Branigan (Agia Kyriaki), Bronze Age Chronology(Bristol 1989). G. Cadogan (Pyrgos), P Croft (Lemba), C. Davaras Ehrich R. Ehrich ed., Chronologiesin Old World (Pseira), D. Haggis (Kavousi survey), B. Hayden (Istron Archaeology"I-II (Chicago 1992). S. Hood A. survey), (Knossos), Kanta and A. Tsigkanaki Festas D. Levi, Festas e la civiltd minoica I-II (Monasteraki), A. Karetsou (Mt. Jouktas), J. and E. La- (Incunabula Graeca 60, 77, Rome garce (Ras Ibn Hani), V. La Rosa (Agia Triada and Phais- 1976, 1988). tos), T Marketou (Trianda), 0. Pelon (Mallia), J.-C. Function R. Hagg and N. Marinatos eds., The Poursat (Mallia), I. and E. Sakellarakis (Archanes/ Function of the Minoan Palaces (SkrAth Phourni), J. and M. Shaw (Kommos), J. Soles (Mochlos), 4, 35, Stockholm 1987). M. Tsipopoulou (Agia Photia and Petras), A. Vasilakis Levant P Gerstenblith, The Levant at the and A. (Trypeti), Zois (Vasiliki). The following scholars Beginning of the Middle Bronze Age have aided me by discussing their research with me or by (ASOR Dissertation Series 5, Phil- providing me with unpublished manuscripts or informa- adelphia 1983). D. and D. H. tion: Arnold, Blitzer, G. Cadogan, P Day, R. Mochlos R. Seager, Explorations in the Island of H~igg, E. and B. Hallager, I. Hamilakis, S. Hiller, R. Hope Mochlos (Boston 1912). Simpson, A. Karetsou, K. Kopaka, E. Lax, A. MacGillivray, MSV P Warren, Minoan Stone Vases (Cam- N. and P K. Nowicki, N. Momigliano, J. Moody, J. Muhly, bridge 1969). S. A. Ozgiig, Paley, Peatfield, J. Rutter, I. Sakellarakis, A. Myrtos P Warren, Myrtos: An Early Bronze Age Sarpaki, J. Shaw, D. Slane, T. Strasser, S. Swiny, L. Vag- Settlementin Crete (London 1972). netti, D. M. T. Vallianou, Vlasakis, J. Weingarten, Pepragmena HexIpay[dcva rov A' KplrTo- Whitelaw, M. D. C. AteOvov•g Wiener, Wilson, J. Younger, Zerner, 1981 )XoytcoLKZvvebpiov (Athens 1981). and A. Zois. and E. sent me of their W. Myers copies Pepragmena Hexpaypl'va rov IT AteOvoig KpqTo- photographs. 1990 XoyLtov1XvvE&bpiov (Chania 1990). This article, written during the fall and winter of the Society O. Krzyszkowska and L. Nixon eds., 1993/1994 academic year during my tenure as a White- Minoan Society (Bristol 1983). head Visiting Professor at the American School of Classi- Soles J. Soles, The Prepalatial Cemeteries at cal Studies at Athens, would definitely have not been Mochlos and Gournia and the House without the and staff possible library of the School. Be- Tombs of Bronze Age Crete (Hesperia cause this article is a summary account, I have been un- Suppl. 24, Princeton 1992). able to include all of the research done by colleagues Thalassocracy R. Hdigg and N. Marinatos eds., The on to those whose working Crete; work I have omitted, I Minoan Thalassocracy: Myth and offer my apologies. H. Blitzer edited the manuscript and, Reality (SkrAth 4, 32, Stockholm additionally, endured me while I was writing it. 1984). 695 AmericanJournal of Archaeology98 (1994) 695-753 696 L. VANCE WATROUS [AJA98 N LERA CAVE CHANIA NEAROUMATA NEROKOUROU PALAIKASTRO ODEBLA RETHYMNON PYRGOS HERAKLEION r-e GERANI CAVE ARMENOIKNOSOS AGIA PHOTIA GOURNES c ATSIPADES TYLISSOS OMALLIA CHAMAIZI PALAIOCHORA RASI MMONATIRAKI0 JOUKTASARCHANES PSEIRA AEAN CAVE IKASTELLI. _A4 VARVARA TRAPEZACAVE CLOSPELEKITA CAVE GORTYNESYME SILIKI0 ZAKROS AGIATRIADA K O PYRGOS(MYRTOS).IERAPETRAM S0*PHAISTOS C KAMILARIRYPITIFOURNOU KORIPHI .LEBENA0PLATANOS S AGIOPHARANGO GAVDOS VALLEY Scale 1:1.000.000 Fig. 1. Map of Crete with principal sites mentioned in the text study differs from the first two articles in this series,2 Lasithi), and KpqruKri Earia (Historical, Ethno- which focused primarily on recently recovered evi- graphic and Archaeological Society of Crete, dence. As will be seen below, the format adopted Chania). The official Greek publications of all Greek here follows from the current state of archaeological excavations, which greatly outnumber foreign proj- research on Crete. The article begins with a review ects, are ApXaLtooylucov Aetiov (ArchDelt), To 'Ep- of the of Minoan because it is and history archaeology yov, HpaKtrKcdtig evi ABrjvatg ApXatoAoyuclg; this history more than anything else that has deter- Eratpeiag (Prakt). Since the Deltion, whose reports mined the nature of the discipline today. Due to include the many Service rescue excavations, is at limitations of time and space, some of the broader present six years behind schedule, I have contacted interpretative problems arising from the archae- a number of Greek archaeologists directly in an ef- ological material cannot be treated here. fort to present as up-to-date a discussion as possible. This article is not intended to be a complete re- port on all of the archaeological work being carried HISTORY OF RESEARCH out on Crete. That service is provided by Archae- Since the beginning of this century the British, ological Reports (AR), Bulletin de correspondance Italian, French, and American archaeological helle'nique (BCH), KpilrtKuc XpovtKac (CretChron), schools have undertaken a continuing and system- AyidAceta (Historical-Ethnographic Society of atic series of excavations on Crete (fig. 1).3 As a con- van Effenterre H. van Effenterre, Le palais de Mallia et view of Aegean Prehistory II: The Prepalatial Bronze Age la citeminoenne: Etude de syntheseI-II of the Southern and Central Greek Mainland," AJA 97 (IncunabulaGraeca 76, Rome 1980). (1993) 745-97. VTM S. Xanthoudides, The VaultedTombs of 3The Italian and French Schools have published valu- Mesara(London 1924). able retrospectives of their work on Crete. See A. Di Vita, Yule P Yule, Early CretanSeals: A Study of V. La Rosa, and M. Rizzo eds., Creta antica (Rome 1984), Chronology(Marburger Studien zur which gives an overview of Italian archaeological investi- Vor- und Friihgeschichte4, Mainz gations from 1894 to 1984. For French excavations on 1981). Crete, see C. Tire and H. van Effenterre, Guide desfouilles 2 J. Davis, "Reviewof Aegean Prehistory I: The Islands frangaises en Crete (Paris 1978) and 0. Pelon, Guide de Malia of the Aegean," AJA96 (1992) 699-756 and J. Rutter,"Re- (Paris 1992). 1994] CRETE FROM EARLIEST PREHISTORYTHROUGH THE PROTOPALATIALPERIOD 697 sequence, our knowledge of certain sites, notably During the pre-World War II years, general Mallia, Phaistos, and Knossos, has become quite de- works such as Arthur Evans's Palace of Minos and tailed. For Mallia alone the French excavators have Pendlebury's Archaeologyof Cretedominated the field published 20 volumes. Crete also has a long and of Minoan archaeology.6 All of this changed after the singular tradition of Ephors who were both active 1950s with an explosion of specialized studies on excavators as well as distinguished scholars of pre- many aspects of Minoan civilization, a trend that has history, such as Xanthoudides, Marinatos, Platon, continued (and accelerated) to the present day. Alexiou, Davaras, and Sakellarakis. Some idea of the vastness of this bibliography can be Systematic excavation on Crete began at the turn grasped by reading Hiller's bibliography on Mi- of this century. This early (1900-1940) period saw noan studies, which lists 443 articles and books for excavation at a large number of important settle- the 12 years between 1965 and 1977. It is impossible ments, e.g., Agia Triada, Amnissos, Chamaizi, even to summarize these studies here, but mention Gournia, Kavousi, Knossos, Mallia, Mochlos, Palai- should be made of the variety of subjects covered: kastro, Phaistos, Pseira, Tylissos, Vathypetro, Va- administration, architecture, chronology, cult, siliki, and Vrokastro, as well as at sanctuaries economy, fresco painting, funerary customs, icon- (Arkalochori, Mt.