How Long is a Century? Late Minoan IIIB Pottery. Relative Chronology and Regional Differences

Edited by Charlotte Langohr

City: Louvain-la-Neuve

Year: 2017

Publisher: Presses Universitaires de Louvain

Series: AEGIS 12

Description: Paperback, 415 p., numerous colour and b/w figures, 20.7 x 29.1 cm

Abstract

Covering approximately the century between 1300 and 1200 BC, the Late Minoan IIIB phase remains a blurred episode of Minoan civilisation. Archaeological data present a contradictory picture: on the one hand, they suggest a time of prosperity, with favourable conditions of subsistence and growth; on the other hand, there are signs of trouble illustrated by a series of abandonments of century-old occupied settlements. Did these processes take place simultaneously, in succession or were they punctual? Can we make sense of the various Late Minoan IIIB developments from a chronological perspective? How can a region-by-region analysis inform us about the various island communities and their histories during the 13th century BC?

The international workshop which the present volume reflects took place at the UCLouvain in Belgium on the 24th and 25th of October 2013. It specifically addressed these questions and focused on the gradual transformation of Cretan society throughout the 13th century BC by concentrating on a single aspect of its material culture: the pottery. It was our intention to bring together a number of ceramic experts in charge of the study of Late Minoan IIIB pottery deposits in a selection of Cretan sites. We wanted them to discuss, confront and contextualise their respective assemblages. The gathering was successful in many ways and not in the least because not only we managed to progress on a variety of thorny issues but it was also a real treat to assist in the thrilling exchanges between the inspiring personalities who compose the ‘family’ of Minoan (and Mycenaean) pottery specialists.

Contents

1. The Late Minoan IIIB Phase on Crete. The State of Play and Future Perspectives [11-35]
Charlotte Langohr
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2. The LM IIIB Settlements at Khania, West Crete [37-52]
Birgitta Hallager

3. To Be or not to Be in LM IIIB Knossos [53-77]
Eleni Hatzaki

4. Historical Pointers from New Evidence. The Situation in Central Crete during LM IIIB. The Case of the Aposelemis Gorge [79-102]
Athanasia Kanta & Danae Z. Kontopodi
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5. The Late Minoan IIIB Pottery of the Gouves Potters’ Quarter and Workshops [103-152]
Despina Chatzi-Vallianou

6. Sherds of a Century: the LM IIIB Pottery from the Pediada Survey Project. Elements for the Distribution and the Character of Life in Central Crete, during the 13th c. BC [153-192]
Kostas Paschalidis, Nikos Panagiotakis & Marina Panagiotaki

7. Late Minoan IIIB Pottery at Sissi and Malia. Assessing Local Ceramic Sequences, Regional Traditions and Interregional Interaction [193-242]
Charlotte Langohr
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8. Late Minoan IIIB at Kommos. An Abundance of Deposits, a Dearth of Clear Sub-Phases, and Probably a Gradual Desertion of the Site [243-281]
Jeremy B. Rutter
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9. Haghia Triada in Late Minoan IIIB. Storage and Banqueting in Postpalatial Crete [283-311]
Anna Lucia D’Agata

10. LM IIIB Pottery at Phaistos [313-329]
Elisabetta Borgna
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11. Preliminary Observations on LM IIIB Pottery from Kannia [331-340]
Nicola Cucuzza

12. Late Minoan IIIB Pottery from the Cemetery at Myrsini-Aspropilia [341-353]
R. Angus K. Smith
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13. Postpalatial Palaikastro. The Settlement and its Ceramics in LM IIIB [355-395]
Tim Cunningham

14. Chronological table

15. Map of Crete

List of illustrations