Phylakopi, Melos, 1896–99: The Finds in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens

R. L. N. Barber (ed.)

City: London

Year: 2024

Publisher: The British School at Athens

Series: BSA Supplementary Volume 53

Description: Hardback, 991 p., 285 figures

The site of Phylakopi on Melos occupies a special place in the prehistory of the Aegean Bronze Age. The first work there by the British School at Athens in 1896–99 (there were two further campaigns, in 1911 and 1974–77) was memorably described by Carl Blegen as ‘the first really serious effort to understand stratification, the first really good excavation in Greece’. The Field Director, Duncan Mackenzie, kept detailed day-to-day records of the work, later applying methods developed on Melos to the excavation of Knossos. The circumstances surrounding the initial excavation permit for Phylakopi and the role of Christos Tsountas, who later organised the Cycladic displays in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, are here examined in an opening Chapter.

Following the 1896–99 excavations, the retained finds were sent to the National Archaeological Museum, where they remain today, thus providing the basis for the studies published here. Although the first publication (1904) of the finds was of exceptional quality for its time — indeed Campbell Edgar’s exemplary account of the pottery provided the foundation of a sequence for the Cyclades — it lacked detailed catalogue descriptions and scale drawings, essential for archaeological analysis and comparison. This double Volume fills such gaps and re-examines the significance of the finds, taking advantage of recent developments in research and scientific techniques.

Petrographic, chemical and pXRF analyses clarify the nature and sources of materials used, as well as technological aspects, helping to shed light on relationships with other Cycladic islands, Crete, and the Greek mainland. The coarse and undecorated pottery is fully described for the first time, providing a template for future work. Finds of post-prehistoric date, housed with the Phylakopi material but certainly not from the site, are presented with explanations as to their probable origin in other (unpublished) British School excavations on Melos. Chapters on bone/ivory, metals, and stone all contribute new insights into the discoveries at Phylakopi and their implications for our understanding of the Bronze Age Cyclades and beyond, while the Chapter on weaving undoubtedly has broader relevance to sites elsewhere in the Aegean. A major new study of the physically meagre fresco fragments, illustrated with fine watercolour visualisations, reconstructs the decoration of the Pillar Crypt complex and places it in the context of contemporary Aegean wall painting. Indeed the wealth of illustrations in this publication — line drawings, half-tone and colour plates — will now allow informed comparisons between Phylakopi and other sites of the Bronze Age Aegean.

VOLUME 1

List of Figures [ix]
List of Tables [xv]
List of Plates [xvi]
List of Pocket Plans [xix]
List of Supplementary Material [xx]
Permissions and Credits [xxi]
General Abbreviations [xxiv]
Colour keys in pottery-related figures [xxv]

Preface and Acknowledgments [xxvii]

Foreword  by Colin Renfrew [xxix]

Introduction to the project by R. L. N. Barber [1]

CHAPTER 1. The Cycladic collection of the National Archaeological Museum, Athens and the British excavations at Phylakopi, 1896-1899 by L. Papazoglou-Manioudaki [5-20]

CHAPTER 2. The Early Cycladic I-IIIA pottery by D. M. Smith [21-60]

CHAPTER 3. The Early Cycladix IIIB, Middle and Late Cycladic pottery by R. N. L. Barber with contributions by C. Nuttall and K. Theodoropoulou [61-328]

Part I. Dark Faced pottery [61]
Part II. Geometric pottery [80]
Part III. Combination Ware [157]
Part IV. Dark Burnished pottery [164]
Part V. Cycladic White pottery [203]
Part VI. Black and Red style [244]
Part VII. The Fishermen Vase by C. Nuttall and K. Theodoropoulou [267]
Part VIII. Later Local pottery [270]
Part IX. Baths and basins [315]
Part X. Spouted inturned-rim bowls (SIRB) by C. Nuttall [324]

CHAPTER 4. Undecorated pottery [329-422]

Part I. The coarse adn plain pottery (EC-LC) by D. M. Smith [329]
Part II. Handless cups and vessels in similar material by I. Berg [413]

VOLUME 2

Contents and Preliminaries [v]

CHAPTER 5. Imported pottery [423-518]

Part I. Middle Minoan pottery by L. A. MacGillivray [423]
Part II. Grey Minyan pottery by C. Paschalidis [445]
Part III. Late Minoan and Mycenaean pottery by P. A. Mountjoy with an Appendix on ICP project by P. A. Mountjoy and R. E. Jones [450]
Part IV. Cypriot White Slip I pottery by G. Cadogan [508]
Part V. Other imported and unclassified pottery by R. L. N. Barber [511]

CHAPTER 6. Post-prehistoric pottery by R. W. V. Catling with an Appendix on post-prehistoric sculpture by R. L. N. Barber [519-536]

CHAPTER 7. The potters’ marks by A. Shepard Bailey [537-546]

CHAPTER 8. Summary of ceramic analysis by J. Hilditch and R. E. Jones [547-560]

CHAPTER 9. The wall paintings of Phylakopi and the programme of the Pillar Crypt complex by L. Morgan [561-594]

CHAPTER 10. Metal and metallurgical objects by D. M. Smith with an Appendix on pXRF analysis of metal and metal-related artefacts from Phylakopi, Melos by R. E. Jones [595-620]

CHAPTER 11. Objects of ivory, bone and antler by O. Krzyszkowska [621-630]

CHAPTER 12. Stone figurines, vessels and spools by C. Renfrew and M. L. Boyd [631-638]

CHPATER 13. Other objects of stone, clay, faience/ glass and plaster by D. Evely, †J. Cutler and D. M. Smith [639-690]

CHAPTER 14. Terracotta figures, figurines and models by †E. French with R. N. L. Barber [691-700]

CHAPTER 15. The weaving equipment by †J. Cutler, T. Whitelaw and M. Gleba with an Appendix on textile remains by M. Gleba, †J. Cutler and G. Moraitou [701-742]

CHAPTER 16. From Melos to Mesopotamia: flaked stone by T. Carter [743-756]

Epilogue by R. N. L. Barber [757-760]

Bibliography [761]
General Index [799]
Pottery Index [869]

Plates
Colour Plates

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL