MBA Crete

MBA Crete 1/30/06 CNE/ART 354 Major BA Farming Development • Orchard husbandry was adopted, in addition to the cultivation of wheat (emmer), barley, legumes. • The olive, fig, and vine are all native to Greece, but domesticated forms were established in the EBA. • These didn‟t compete with crops for land; allowed an intensification of production that provided commodities for exchange (one of the mainsprings of cultural advance and prosperity). MBA in a Nutshell • Crete: rapidly grew prosperous; saw the rise of palatial civilization. • Cyclades: independent development was checked; islands increasingly influenced by Crete; conditions worsened. No more marble figurines. • Mainland: arrival of new peoples (the Greeks) coincided with a period of cultural poverty. MBA Crete • 2300-1400: developments of this period represent the continuation of patterns and trends established earlier. • Emergence of 1st Cretan palaces, the first states in Europe. • Complex, bureaucratically-based organizations. • Increasing emphasis on coastal sites, with earlier inland centers diminishing in importance. Emergence of the State • Definitions: State: “a powerful, complex, permanently instituted system of centralized political administration. It exercises sovereignty in carrying out basic political functions and its authority is backed up by sovereignty in the use of force within its jurisdiction.” [Rutter, stating Cherry‟s view] • Another definition: “States are also societies with relatively complex and specialized administrative organization, involving hierarchically ordered personnel who perform specialized administrative tasks and made decisions.” (Rutter) Theories as to Why? • The question of how and why palatial civilization arose on Crete at this time has not been definitively answered. See Rutter‟s Lesson 11. • Some theories: – Developed from earlier Minoan culture – Developed from NE models – Developed from redistributive centers for subsistence commodities controlled by elite (Renfrew) Social Storage • Some see as crucial to the creation of the palatial state: growth of social storage (the exchange which takes place in a system of social reciprocity - when food and other resources are given to neighbors in the expectation of reciprocity in the future. • Flaws: makes elites motivated by altruism, fails to explain why farmers would work to produce large surpluses in a subsistence economy. First Palaces • Appear in Knossos, Phaistos, and Mallia c. 2000. • A jump in size accompanies this: EBA Knossos area of occupation: less than 5 hectares MBA 1st Palatial Period: 45 hectares (.1 of a hectare is 1/4 of an acre) Population Growth • Population expands 400% from the end of the Neolithic to the MBA. • Things are moving on a different scale than the EBA. • Organizational shift to a „palatial‟ civilization (refers to both buildings and social system). Palatial Civilization • Large integrated complexes of buildings include monumental elements and large-scale storage facilities. • These become major regional centers, the seats of local rulers. Tighter control of agriculture and the economy. • Indicates profound political and social changes taking place at the end of the 3rd millenium. • Villages of the EM period like Myrtos give way to MM palatial complexes. Growing Urbanization • Palaces were surrounded by large and rapidly growing urban settlements. • It is important to recognize that the organizational hurdles had been jumped before the building of the palaces. • Earliest palaces are hazy, having been built over by later palaces. “Palace” Defined: • Stone built, large, complex building • Multifunctional center of respective settlement areas (administrative, commercial, ceremonial, religious centers) • Open center (central court) • Western court • Western storage areas • SE living quarters (not clear if these were elite residences, however) Palatial Economy • Centralized around the ruler‟s house. • Redistributive: maximizing the diversity of the area around the palace. This supports the ruling elite and allows for greater craft specialization. • Saves for times of drought and disaster. Phaistos • Phaistos provides the most evidence for the first palaces. • Characteristics: Central court dominates (80 x 170 feet), a measurement repeated almost exactly at Knossos and Phaistos. Oriented N-S in all 3 palaces. Main entrance at the N side. Western court. Post and lintel system of architecture (verticals and horizontals). 2 storeys high. Phaistos & Mesara Plain from the NW Phaistos: Old Palace Survivals • Entire west façade, the west court in front of that and the theatral area, and part of the west wing are still visible because the later “New Palace” western façade was moved to the east. • West wing: had a series of paved courtyards in front at 3 different levels, entered by 2 major entrances, and 5 minor ones. Phaistos MM West Wing Phaistos: 1st Palace, Western Court Western Court, West Façade from the NW West Façade from S End West Façade from SW Entrance in Middle of West Facade Phaistos: Pier and Door Partitions Phaistos & Knossos • Had monumental koulouras (stone-lined, circular pits) in paved courtyards: often thought of as successors of the earlier EMIII hypogeum at Knossos. • BUT: these are not suited to grain storage had no covers or moisture-proofing sealants; may have stored water, or were part of garbage disposal; OR tree planters for ritual. • Mallia had silos: above ground, some with columns to support a roof to keep the grain dry. Mallia • Mallia also preserves its MM ground plan. • Large structure to the west of the later palace has: – Many rooms with stuccoed walls – Staircases – Storage units filled with pottery – Clay sealings & hieroglyphic inscriptions Administrative building? Building Organization • Separate, uncoordinated buildings (administrative building, „agora‟, etc.); Quartier Mu: these types of large protopalatial houses: evidence for emerging social stratification (compare with same-size „beehive‟ building plans). • Palatial organization functioned from these separate units, not integrated into architectural whole until after rebuilding circa 1700 after earthquake. Mallia, Palatial Plan Quarter Mu, Mallia Architecture • Wood was used extensively in Minoan architecture [example: wooden columns]. • Light, color, and luxury were emphasized: „lustral basins,‟ lightwells, baths, wall frescoes, colorful building materials. • Knossos: palace had a complex drainage system with terracotta pipes throughout. • Palace fulfilled many roles, but the plan was overall functional. Knossos Drainage System • Construction of the palaces: required transportation of large amounts of stone and timber, as well as new tools for construction, and so the centralization of control over raw materials and trade. Fortification • The later palaces were not surrounded by defensive walls. Old interpretation: thalassocracy? Allowed for „organic growth‟ of the site. • Fortifications have now been found from EM III to MM II periods, at both palatial (Knossos, Mallia) and non-palatial sites (Ayia Photia‟s wall with towers). Near Eastern Similarities • The plan of the palaces is perhaps connected to those of NE palaces, many of which had large central courts, corridors, rectangular units. But: NE heavily walled; aimed to keep out heat/light. • Example: palace of Zimrilim at Mari on the Euphrates (now in modern Syria), 18th c. BCE, but has earlier parts from 21st c. BCE. Map: Mari Plan: Zimrilim at Mari Trade Contacts • Strong trade contacts between Crete and Egypt. Egyptian artifacts appear on many EBA sites throughout the island (vases, jewelry, other luxury goods). • New Kingdom Egyptian tomb paintings show men in Cretan dress bearing gifts to Pharaoh. • May have been trade in agricultural goods as well; no evidence remains. • Trade with Syria (daggers, etc.) and Troy (Minoan seals found there). Why do we get palaces where we do in Crete? • Knossos: 5/6 kilometer from the sea (first settled c. 5000 BCE) • Phaistos: fertile plain, a bit away from the sea • Mallia: on a plain, closer to the coast • Kato Zakro: smaller, on the coast in eastern Crete (good for seaborne trade) Common to all: • Good agricultural areas • Access to sea transportation • Far enough from the sea to be safe from marauders Palatial Administrative Role • Indicated by large-scale storage of agricultural commodities by rulers: a justification of their power? Provided commodities in bad years, offered public rituals that kept the status quo and helped keep the arrangement together. Storage Facilities, Mallia Phaistos, MM Storage Pithos Associations with Cult • Egyptian correlation of pharaoh with the gods: Minoan palaces were also the center of cult activities. • Again, this type of system likely developed before the architectural manifestations of it. • Elite claimed special connection with the gods/goddesses worshipped at special cult places established by the elite: cave and peak sanctuaries, etc. Writing Systems • First appearance of Cretan scripts (“Hieroglyphic” and Linear A) • Hieroglyphic used on seals/Linear A on clay tablets to keep track of the storage of goods. • The precise nature of the economy indicated by storage facilities is open to argument: - redistributive (evens out food supply for the population‟s tributary areas) - mobilization (upward movement of resources from general population to the elite, for elite benefit) Hieroglyphic Seals, Phaistos Hieroglyphics • Time frame: appears in MM IA, in use through MM IIIB (500-550 years). • Found only at Knossos, Phaistos, Mallia • Small number of texts found • Script is undeciphered • No uniformity in the direction in which the script is written. Linear A • Appears in MM IB or MM IIA (all predate the time of proposed Mycenaean occupation) • Virtually contemporaneous with Hieroglyphic. • Never appears on seals, but mostly on clay tablets. • Texts read from left to right. Syllabary; 85 signs. • Found at 20 different sites on a wide variety of different objects (libation tables, rings, in cuttlefish ink on inside of clay cup, doorjamb). • Unknown language; undeciphered. Top Register: Hieroglyphic (left) and Linear A (right) Ayia Photia Structure • Rectangular (27 x 19 m) • More than 30 rooms arranged around a narrow court, laid out on E-W axis. • 2000-1900 BCE • Has some similarities with palace plan (indigenous, or not?) • Function unknown (no storage areas or pithoi). • No differentiation in use of rooms; wall on seaward side (a bit like Khalandriani on Syros). Ayia Photia Aerial View Ayia Photia Plan Ayia Photia North Ring Wall Ayia Photia Main E-W Corridor Chamaizi • Large MM IA building on a hilltop, on land route to eastern Crete. • Important role in Minoan architectural history. • Excavated in 1903. • Curved walls cope with site demands. • Series of free-standing houses, perhaps of a single clan. Rich arable & pasture land around. • Well suited for defense (wall, site). Social System • Still chiefdom, or budding states? • By 1800 the palaces show similar forms and functions; exacted tribune from the surrounding countryside. • Other forms: towns, isolated farms, larger provincial villas (which may have featured in the palatial administration) • Examples: Gournia (town) and Palaikastro (town), small collections of people/houses, probably with some central authority. Gournia Minoan Towns • No central courts • Small houses • Winding streets Minoan Houses • Model from Arkhanes (terracotta) from LM I gives us an idea of what they looked like: – – – – – – 2 storey building with windows Columns Lightwell opening onto a typical Minoan hall Stairway Projecting balcony on top storey. Typical townhouse of this time period; actual ones at Knossos of MM III are similar plan, with no more than 3 rooms on the ground floor. Arkhanes House Model Faience Minoan House Plaques Palatial Occupations • • • • • • • • Kings Nobles Priests/priestesses Court officials Military Artisans Farmers Slaves Characteristics of 1st Palaces • Built from 1900-1800, destroyed circa 17001625 by earthquakes. • Lots of technological advances: ex. fast moving potter‟s wheel. • More regular contact with the Levant. • Adoption of scripts for writing. • Flowering of Minoan art (sophisticated style confined to Knossos, Phaistos, Mallia). Types of Palatial Objects/Activities • Characteristic pottery of MM: Kamares ware, named after cave sanctuary on Mt. Ida opposite Phaistos, where the style was first found. • Elaboration of earlier light on dark wares of EMIII. Light decoration on dark ground with much added yellow, red, orange: polychrome style. Kamares Ware, Phaistos Kamares “Fruit Bowl” Kamares Ware • Designs: abstract or natural forms geared to pot shape: spirals, coils, petals, leaves repeated around pot. No human figures. • 2 fabrics: – Eggshell ware: small, very thin vessels. Imitation of metal? Shows fast potter‟s wheel now firmly in use. True palatial style, made and used in the palaces (centralization of artistic production). Didn‟t last long on Crete, but v. popular abroad. Shipped to mainland, Cyclades, Syria, Egypt. Shows palatial economy widely connected in Aegean. 2nd Fabric • Heavier, coarser ware for storage and pouring vessels. • Popular shapes: single-handled cup, spouted jar, beak-spouted jug. Trade: Materials imported into the Aegean area tend do be raw materials (e.g. metals); exports tend to be manufactured goods. Phaistos: Kamares Jug Pottery Elaboration Another View Administrative Control • Seal impressions, like those at Lerna, were not documents but a recording system. • Phaistos contained thousands of them. • Clay bars and circular objects contain signs in Cretan Hieroglyphic script, used to record economic documents: “Joe Smith brought in 70 cows.” Found at Mallia (MMII) and Knossos (EMII). This was probably a syllabic script; one step more abstract than seals. Writing Systems, Continued • Phaistos has examples of Linear A, a related but different system. • Linear A has its origin at the same time as Hieroglyphic script. • Both remain undeciphered. Phaistos Disk, MMIIIB Religion • We know from frescoes that the paved western courts of palaces were walkways, places where rituals were performed, watched by crowds. • Temple „repositories‟ (stone-lined pits): held objects like „Snake-Goddesses‟, made of faience (primitive glass). Goddess, or priestess? Knossos “Sacred Grove” Fresco Faience Snake Goddess Faience Snake Goddess Modern Forgery: “Our Lady of the Sports” Religion, continued • Represented also: animals (bull: bull-leaping fresco) trees birds various „demons‟ Was the religion concerned with fertility, death, rebirth of vegetation? Animistic religion? Figurines • Small terracotta figurines (tallest 9 inches): – Males: naked but for belts, daggers. Arms raised to chest (gesture of respect?) – Females: arms raised and extended in front; bell-shaped skirts, elaborate hats. Style: geometric shapes, large eyes [shows some link with contemporary NE and Mesopotamian figures] Petsophas Male Figurine Petsophas Female Figurine Petsophas • Peak Sanctuary (mountain shrine) founded in MM IB/IIA. • Above the long-lived Minoan town of Palaikastro (eastern Crete). • Many votive figurines of animals and people, stone offerings with Linear A inscriptions. Petsophas Location Cave Sanctuaries • Palaces are also associated with cave sanctuaries. • Knossos: the N/S axis of the central court points to the peak sanctuary at Mt. Iuktos, where parts of figurines had been thrown into a chasm (offered for divine healing?). • Phaistos: court faces Mt. Ida and Kamares Cave (above snow line). • Horns of consecration: mark out sanctuary and cult areas. Tombs • Mesara Plain: a few tholoi are still used in MM. These become more complex and richer in offerings, suggesting a shift in function from burial for all in the settlement (EM) to elite burial only (MM). • Figurines: groups of large bulls grappled by tiny people. MM Mesara Sarcophagus Arkhanes Tholos Latest Arkhanes Tholoi • Have dromoi (singular: dromos), or entrance corridors. • This links them to the later Mycenaean tholoi, found both on Crete and the mainland. • Used to be argued that the Mycenaean tholoi were unrelated to earlier Minoan - Rutter argues that the Mycenaean ones are directly derived from the earlier Minoan ones. • Tholos Gamma: preserves a fully vaulted roof (as the Mycenaean ones have). Burial Types • Most common type of MM burial: pithos. • Bodies are placed in pithoi: in simple pits, alone or in groups, in caves, in tholoi, in chamber tombs, in rectangular ossuaries. • Size of pithoi varies; rarely painted. • Most look like re-used domestic vessels, not specially made. Miniature Art • Minoans seemed to specialize in the miniature arts metallurgy: Chrysolakkos bee pendant (shows new techniques of working gold acquired through Syrian and NE contacts: filigree, granulation, embossing). Rings and Seals • Used to stamp clay with which knots of rope (binding boxes and chests) were secured, identifying and securing the goods. • Seals were made out of a variety of materials: stones, bone, gold. • Range of decoration varied widely, from abstract to human figures. Minoan Gold Seals Minoan Gold Seal (“The Pantheon”?)