Pottery traditions in Kydonia: Preliminary results from the petrographic analysis of three pottery assemblages in Chania

Abstract

Chania, or Minoan Kydonia according to the Linear B tablets, has been an important Minoan settlement throughout the Bronze Age. Systematic and rescue excavations on the hill of Kastelli since the 1970 s has revealed the presence of a major palatial centre of the Late Minoan III (LM IIIA1-B1) period that kept thriving even after the collapse of the Minoan palatial system. This paper deals with the combined analysis of three assemblages from Chania covering all phases of the Postpalatial period (LM IIIA1 to LM IIIB2). The petrographic analysis of an array of coarse and fine wares allowed the in-depth investigation of pottery production throughout the LM III period and the establishment of the main pottery recipes. Issues of provenance and technology of manufacture are investigated with emphasis on the use of different types of raw materials for the production of coarse wares used for domestic purposes as well as semi-fine and fine wares used for transportation and consumption of staples and liquids. With an approach incorporating pottery from different contexts and different chronological horizons of the LM III period this paper examines continuity and discontinuity in the use of fabrics and clay recipes in time and at a micro-regional level. Last but not least, the technological characteristics of the renowned ‘Kydonian workshop’ are examined.