This paper deals with the Minoan inspired motifs in the textile production, mostly scarves and wall-hangings, of Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, known as «Knossos scarves» and dated between 1906 and 1930. Fortuny's textile creations are examples of conscious reception of Minoan art, as his unpublished notes and some of his sketches have revealed: he wrote some notes about his purpose to print Minoan motifs, as well as he reproduced many sketches of Minoan decorative motifs, declaring his main sources of inspiration.
The article discusses the wall bracket found at Phaistos by Luigi Pernier. The object was dated to historical time and published by the excavator without proper description together with other prehistoric vessels. Wall brackets are extremely rare in Greece;
Τhe interpretation of the Linear B term ki-ta-no, which is uniquely attested in the tablets belonging to the set Ga(5) at Knossos, has been much debated since the decipherment of Linear B and is still contentious. In this paper, the texts registering this term are analyzed anew and their major peculiarities are highlighted.
In 1985, during stratigraphical soundings carried out by V. La Rosa in the north sector of the Haghia Triada settlement, remains of a house destroyed by fire at the beginning of LM IA were brought to light under the floor of room C of the LM III A monumental Edificio Ovest.
This paper focuses on some rhyta from Phaistos, Ayia Triada and Kommos, which date mainly to the MM III period. After a brief review aimed at clarifying some major typological and functional issues of this category of evidence, the various types identified in the three sites are contrasted with one other with the aim of identifying meaningful patterns in their geographic and chronological distribution.
This article examines some assemblages that are almost certainly associated with the construction of the Second Palace, with a special focus on the one uncovered under room 18 of this Palace.
This paper aims at outlining A. Di Vita as a man, as a scholar, as an excavator and as direccor of the Italian Archaeological School in Athens, stressing his privileged relationship with the Island of Crete
C. Mountrakis, S. Georgaki & S.K. ManolisThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 11.1 (2011): 1-8.
Cranial trepanation is one of the most ancient surgical operations. This kind of ʺoperationʺ has been reported in prehistoric Greece with several specific case studies. In this paper, a significant case of trepanation, on a male skull, dated to the Late Bronze Age, is presented.
Archaeomagnetic research has enabled the determination of the secular variation record of the past geomagnetic field and has been used as a tool for absolute and relative dating. The archaeomagnetic secular variation of declination can be used in conjunction with architectural building plan orientation angles (strike directions) to establish, whether or not, a magnetic compass was possibly used to align buildings.
An archaeomagnetic directional study of Late Minoan archaeological materials, (burnt mud brick, a clay/ash horizon and hearth material), was carried out at locations within the archaeological complex at Malia, Crete. The study aimed to establish the suitability of materials for archaeomagnetic sampling and to obtain archaeomagnetic directions for comparison with other Late Minoan “fired” sites on Crete.
B. YamanThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 11.1 (2011): 33-39.
In this study, the qualitative and quantitative anatomy of six wood charcoals from an early Bronze Age settlement in the island Imbros (Gökçeada) were presented. Taxonomic identification on the basis of wood anatomy showed that two of them belong to the genus Quercus (section Ilex and cf Quercus), and four of them belong to the genus Pinus.
G. Henriksson & M. BlombergThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 11.1 (2011): 59-68.
From the early results of our archaeoastronomical investigations at the peak sanctuaries on Petsophas and Mt Juktas, we inferred that the Minoans had a lunisolar calendar that began at a particular phase of the moon on or following the autumn equinox. We used classical archaeoastronomical methods: a digital theodolite with observations of the sun to determine the orientation of the coordinate system, measuring the orientations of foundations to celestial bodies, and determining the positions of celestial bodies at the appropriate times in the past using our own programs.
E. AkdenizThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 11.1 (2011): 69-74.
During the surface researches which we initiated to identify the Prehistoric and Protohistoric cultures in the geography of the city of Manisa located at a highly strategic point in the Western Anatolia, examinations were carried out also in the volcanic area known as “Katakekaumene” in the Ancient Age.
M. KosmaThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 10.3 (2010): 29-36.
The existence of an Early Bronze Age coastal site in the district of Nea Styra has been known since the end of the 19th century when three marble figurines of early Cycladic type had been found in the area. During the 20th century survey investigations conducted by Greek and foreign archaeologists offered new evidence which demonstrated the significance of the site during the Early and Middle Helladic periods.
Floral imagery plays a major role in Minoan art, and the crocus has long been recognized as an important motif. Previous studies, however, have been narrowly focused on specific materials or interpretations, thereby obscuring the richness of crocus iconography and its meanings.
