Two Palatial Stone Vases from Knossos

Abstract

At the invitation of Dr. St. Alexiou, Ephor of Antiquities for Crete and Director of Herakleion Museum, two magnificent large stone vases from the original Knossos excavations are published here. The vases (A. Her. Mus. 21; B. Her. Mus. 23) were found in 1900 in the passage adjoining the ‘Room of the Stone Vases’ on the south, and were reported by Evans. They are the vases of which more details about the find-spot have been given by John Boardman. The fact that vases were found in this passage, well above the floor level (Boardman op. cit.), confirms Evans's view that the whole series had fallen from the upper floor, the majority into the basement room north of the passage.Each of these vases is unique but they may be taken as part of a series of large stone vessels in use in the Palace at the time of its destruction. This series includes the giant amphora and the smaller one from the Sculptor's Workshop, the dark maroon limestone basin from the passage north of the Throne Room, and two other large basins from the North-west Insula, a fine reddish limestone amphora, the Throne Room alabastra and various large vessels from the Central Treasury deposit. The two lids have L.M. IB parallels whilst that of the reddish limestone amphora is similar.