THE PALACE OF MINOS

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 6

THE PALACE OF MINOS

MARVELLOUS DISCOVERIES LECTURE BY AIR 11. D. SKINNER. Amazing archaeological discoveries at Knossos, on the island of Crete, were the subject of an illustrated lecture by Air 11. D. Skinner at a public meeting of the Otago Classical Association last week. Air Skinner dealt chiefly with the Palace of Alinos, at Knossos, where Sir Arthur Evans had spent many years in excavating restoring, and in making discoveries of great importance in tracing the growth of ancient civilisations. Air Willi Pels occupied the chair. Air Skinner said that it had struck him that the results of the archaeological excavations on the site of the great palace at Knossos were very important, and they had been magnificently reported up to a point. It was indeed the richest archmological site that had ever been.“ laid spade co ” in the world. It was of interest to their association, because it showed the civilisation of Crete to be the forerunner of the classical world of historical times —a forerunner completely unknown before 1900. The whole of the story had been worked out by archaeological investigation since that date. Although he had never been to Crete, having seen only its distant mountain tops from the steamer, he had heard an address by Sir Arthur Evans during the war years. He had, moreover, seen the greatest collection of material outside of Crete at Oxford, and the second greatest collection outside of Crete in the British Museum. He bail also seen the collection in the Boston Aluseum of Fine Arts, where the greatest treasure ever found on Crete was kept. The Otago University Museum also had a few authenticarticles from Crete. The term Minoan culture, Mr Skinner said, was given by Sir Arthur Evans, who used the name Alinos to designate the period of the Bronze Age in the history of Crete. That period had been divided into three parts—early Alinoan, middle Minoan, and late Minoan —and each of those parts was subdivided in turn into three. That covered the period from 3500 B.C. to 1200 B.c. A few dates were known in history, and Egyptian material was used as a guide, a few dateable

Egyptian objects having been found with Cretan material. After 1200 B.c. there was a long period dark in dating, but in outline known. After touching on a few details of this history Air Skinner said that the story of Crete began when the Stone Age of Crete changed to the age of bronze. In the early Bronze Age there seemed to have been a number of districts independent of one another drawing together and coming under the domination of one being who had his seat as Knossos. The mount was known as the site of the old palace. Sir Arthur Evans came to Crete in the early nineties, saw the site and purchased it, beginning excavations in 1900. He had worked continuously, the cost being borne by himself and private enterprise. It would be interesting to know how many hundreds of thousands had been spent in plitting that site in order. DEVELOPAIENT GF POTTERY.

The principal guide in such research work was pottfery, and the history of pottery at Knossos was the history of civilisation there. The earliest type of pottery found there was neolithic. The wheel had not been invented then. The idea of making these pots out of stone had originated in Eastern Egypt. They were found to be stronger than the pottery pots, and were more beautiful, and consequently their popularity grew. The succeeding age saw the elaboration of Kamares ware, with the pattern painted in light colours in early Alinoan style. Mr Skinner showed several illustrations of such pots, followed by one of a middle Alinoan pot with a similar pattern but finer decoration. Alore elaborate specimens were shdwn. representative of the late Alinoan period. In one of the regions of the palace, Air Skinner continued, Evans had found storerooms containing great pots. These pots showed how the history of the Alinoan civilisation ran. Each era had its own favourite fashions, and the excavators, looking over the pots, could tell whether they were early or late. _ The Cretans were in constant touch with Egypt, and many of their ideas were the same. The contact came through trade, and before Pharaoh would allow a Cretan vessel to trade he would exhet tribute, and so there had been found in an Egyptian tomb a picture of Cretan merchants coming to Egypt and tribute being taken-from them. That tomb could be dated with exactness, and therefore when a vessel of the type shown in the picture was found on a Cretan site it could ,be dated accordingly. Dates could, therefore, be fixed in Cretan history. Determination of actual dates rested on Egyptian material, but relative dates by etratafication. The oldest pots were buried deep, and later ones were

nearer the surface. A combination of Egyptian data and archajological methods should therefore give the dates. On this site Evans had done a remarkable amount of restoration work, and was doing more as time went on. The more he had restored the more confident he was that he was doing the right thing, and he gave convincing reasons in his book. He had restored in ferro-concrete which had stood the test well in the severe earthquake in 1926, Views of Kephala Hill, on which the palace stood, were shown, together with another great find, the colossal viaduct which carried the great south road to the bridge head and the stepped portico of the palace. One of the most remarkable features of the building, Air Skinner said, was the drainage arrangements. To get the water that fell on to the roof above it was not sufficient to prove runnels, which would splash over. The water was taken down by drains with a series of parabolic curves which broke the speed of the water, and was then led to places where the silt and mud settled and stored in tanks. At the north-west angle of the palace was a shrine, one of a number scattered about the building. This particular one was dedicated to the Earth Alother, and was approached down a flight of steps. The plastered walls down the corridor had been utilised for decorative purposes, and modelling had also been used to increase the artistic effects. The building, which was of four storeys, had its northern aspect to the sea. with a great inner court yard behind, and surrounding this were the great eastern and western wings. An illustration gave some indication of the detail work in frescoes and stucco relief decorating the walls. THE MYSTICAL EMBLEM.

In the Palace of Knossos was the Labyrinth, the place of the Double Axe, which appeared to have been the mystical symbol of Knossos. It was seen everywhere as a sign throughout the palace. Another striking object found in the main shrine was a" Greek cross, of marble. In the shrine to the north-west a series of frescoes represented ladies in boxes at a theatrical performance. The crowd in the pit was seen, and here men prodominated. From this distinction Evans concluded that something of mother right existed in Crete then. Air Skinner showed on the screen a small ivory figure, about 12 inches high, which was the greatest treasure in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It represented the Earth Alother, grasping snakes, and it was one of the most magnificent figures in sculpture he had ever seen. The ivory was much decayed, but the snakes and other parts of the figure were in gold. “ When you look at that face,” Mr Skinner said, “ you see a face of to day—one we can understand. In Egyptian art you don’t feel that you know the mental attitude of the artist. There is not the instantaneous appeal. In Crete we have something in common with the artist who carved this, poor as our efforts may be. It is undoubtedly the greatest piece of sculpture that has ever come out of Crete. How. then, is it in Boston? It is just a story of theft. Some workmen > found this deposit of ivories in the strong box of the palace and hid the contents. They ultimately found their way across to America. Evans speaks in generous terms of their presence there, saying that no one will regret their presence in Boston, which is acting as the ambassador of Cretan culture.

The part played by the bull in the national life of Crete was also dealt with and representations were shown of youths and girls indulging in what appeared to be the sport of “bull leaping,” in which the athlete turned somersaults over the bull’s horns on to its back. Evans had stated that he believed the town of Knossos had 100,000 inhabitants. It must then have been the largest town in the world, and the palace was finer than any in Egypt and Mesopotamia. He did not believe that the youths and maids of Athens came overseas to Crete to meet their doom in the bull ring, holding that that was not according to historical facts, but was mythological. “ I don’t think that he will convince scholars, however,” concluded Air Skinner. “Many believe that the Theseus legend has an historical basis.” Mr Pels, in moving a hearty vote of thanks to the speaker, recalled his own visit to Crete seven years ago. when he . saw the Hall of the Double Axe, the mystical symbol that was widely venerated. The motion was carried enthusiastically.