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The Linear B Inscribed Stirrup Jars and West Crete

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2013

Extract

The four authors of this paper have worked in close consultation throughout the project, and present a joint result rather than so many separately initialled sections. Catling has most responsibility for the archaeological matter, Jones for the analytical work, Cherry and Jones for the interpretation of the results of the analyses and Killen for the epigraphic comment.

It must be noted that a single series of numbers, 1–108, is used throughout this paper to distinguish the test samples. The significance of these numbers is made clear in the Catalogue and Concordances.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 1980

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References

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank most warmly Mr E Hallager and Mr Y Tzedakis for their assistance in collecting material from the excavations at Chania and for their encouragement in this work. We are also grateful to the following who kindly cooperated with collecting the samples: Miss O Alexandri, Mrs A Demakopoulou-Papantoniou, Dr E French, Miss A Kanta, Mrs A Karetsou, Dr K Kilian, Mrs Krystallis, Miss A Lembessi, Professor G Mylonas and Dr Y Sakellarakis. The technical assistance of Miss Ph Christodoulakis, the statistical advice of Dr N Feiller and the comments of Robin Torrence are most gratefully acknowledged. We thank Mr H Haskell, Dr Y Maniatis and Miss P–A Mountjoy for useful discussions. We also thank Elizabeth Catling, who drew the maps and figures. We are most grateful to Miss Penelope Youard for skilful typing of a difficult manuscript.

The following abbreviations are employed in addition to those in standard use:

AAA Athens Annals of Archaeology = Archaeologika Analekta ex Athinón (Athens, 1968 –)

CIV Sacconi, A., Corpus delle Iscrizioni Vascolari in Lineare B Incunabula Graeca LVIII, (Rome, 1974)Google Scholar

GAC Hope-Simpson, R. and Dickinson, O. T. P. K., A Gazetteer of Aegean Civilization in the Bronze Age, Vol I: The Mainland and the Islands SIMA LII, (Göteborg, 1979)Google Scholar

VIP Raison, J., Les Vases à Inscriptions Peintes de l'Age Mycénien, (Rome, 1968)Google Scholar

Non- bibliographical abbreviations

C and J H. W. Catling and R. E. Jones

C and M H. W. Catling and A. Millett

FL The Fitch Laboratory for Archaeology in the British School at Athens

ISJ Inscribed stirrup jar

OES Optical Emission Spectroscopy

OL The Oxford University Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art

SJ Stirrup jar

1 The literature is very extensive; accounts of this discovery are best summarised in VIP.

2 Palmer, L.R. and Boardman, J., On the Knossos Tablets (Oxford, 1963)Google Scholar provides a full account.

3 Blegen, C. W. and Rawson, M., The Palace of Nestor I (Princeton, 1966)Google Scholar; see also Bennett, E. L. and Olivier, J. P., The Pylos Tablets Transcribed (Rome, 1973).Google Scholar

4 VIP 118–20.

5 Ventris, M. and Chadwick, J., Documents in Mycenaean Greek 2 (Cambridge, 1973) 212Google Scholar; Palmer, L. R., The Interpretation of Mycenaean Greek Texts (Oxford, 1963).Google Scholar

6 See, for instance, L. R. Palmer, Kadmos x (1971) 70–86; idem, Kadmos xi (1972) 27–46; idem, Kadmos xii (1973) 60–75.

7 Chania finds are described and discussed by Hallager, E., Op. Ath. xi (1975) 53–6.Google Scholar

8 Kadmos viii (1969) 43–5.

9 Catling, Richards, and Blin-Stoyle, , BSA lviii (1963) 94115.Google Scholar

10 Chadwick, J., Minos x (1969) 119.Google Scholar

11 Chadwick, J., Proc. Third Cretological Congress I (Athens 1973) 41Google Scholar; Godart, L., Minos xii (1970) 418–24Google Scholar; idem, Parola del Passato 31 (fasc. 166) (1976) 118–22; Heubeck, A., Athenaeum 47 (1969) 144–53Google Scholar; Olivier, J-P., Studi Micenei ed Egeo-Anatolici ii (1967) 7193.Google Scholar

12 Raison, VIP; cf. also idem, review of C and M, Revue des Études Anciennes lxix (1967) 128–9; idem, Revue Archéologique lxxvii (1978) 79–86.

13 Catling, H. W. and Millett, A., Archaeometry xi (1969) 320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

14 Strangely, in view of his distrust of analytical techniques, Raison included the results of petrological and semiquantitative spectrographic analyses of three ISJs, three Mycenaean cups or bowls from the excavations at Thebes and seven large storage jars from Knossos, undertaken by Mile. Bouchard. These results were indecisive, perhaps not surprisingly in view of the presence of Type B compositions at Knossos and Thebes, and little could be concluded.

15 Sacconi, CIV, no. KN Z 1715; Evans, A. J., BSA viii (19011902) 66–7Google Scholar, fig. 33.

16 Tzedakis, , Kadmos vi (1967) 106–9Google Scholar; idem, Praktika (1968) 133–38, Pl. 138; Sacconi, CIV 179–89; Popham, Mr., Kadmos viii (1969) 43–5, Pl. lcGoogle Scholar; Hallager, E., Op. Ath. xi (1975) 5386Google Scholar; Hallager, E. and Vlasakis, M., AAA ix (1976) 213–19.Google Scholar

17 Godart, op. cit. (supra, n. 11).

18 Sourvinou-Inwood, C., Minos xiii (1972) 130–6.Google Scholar

19 Palmer, op. cit. (supra, n. 6).

20 Wilson, A. L., Minos xvi (1977) 67125.Google Scholar

21 Killen, J. T., Mycenaean Geography (ed. Bintliff, J.) (1977) 4054.Google Scholar

22 Chadwick, op. cit. (supra, n. 11).

23 Palmer, L. R., ‘Context and Geography’ (Paper read at the VIth International Colloquium on Mycenaean Studies, Chaumont, Switzerland) 1975.Google Scholar

23bis Melena, J. L., Emerita xlii (1974) 307–36CrossRefGoogle Scholar; idem, Minos xv (1976) 133–63; idem, Studies on some Mycenaean Inscriptions from Knossos dealing with Textiles (Minos Supplement v) 1975.

24 J. F. Cherry, unpublished study; application of computerised two-dimensional scaling techniques (as reported by Cherry, J. F., Mycenaean Geography (ed. Bintliff, J.) (1977) 7683)Google Scholar to toponym association data from the Knossos tablets (cf. Wilson, op. cit. (supra, no. 20) Appendix IV) strongly supports the clear separation of a western group of toponyms.

25 Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 20) 108.

26 Killen, op. cit. (supra, n. 21) 46; Godart, op. cit. (supra, n. 11) (1976) 121; Hallager, op. cit. (supra, n. 7) 67.

27 McArthur, J. and McArthur, J., Minos xv (1974) 6880Google Scholar; McArthur, J., The Implications of recent archaeological discoveries in Crete and Thebes for the problem of dating and origin of the Theban Stirrup Jars (Dissertation, Monash University) 1973.Google Scholar

28 Wilson, A. L., Archaeometry xviii (1976) 51–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

29 Wilson, A. L., Journal of Archaeological Science v (1978) 219–36CrossRefGoogle Scholar discusses many of these points within a general framework.

30 Catling, Richards and Blin-Stoyle, op. cit. (supra, n. 9).

31 This was probably a premature decision; cf. Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 29) 226–7.

32 e.g. Bieber, A. M., Brooks, D. W., Harbottle, G. and Sayre, E.V., Archaeometry xviii (1976) 5974CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Mertz, R., Melson, W. and Levenbach, G., Archaeo-Physika x (1978) 580–96Google Scholar; Mountjoy, P. A., Jones, R. E. and Cherry, J. F., BSA lxxiii (1978) 143–71.Google Scholar

33 Refs. in n. 16 supra.

34 The compositions of Theban ISJs 1–18 alone were published because (a) in the light of C and M's results they seemed to be the most relevant to the problem in hand, and (b) there was insufficient sample remaining of nos. 19, 24 and 25. Nos. 22 and 23 were reanalysed, but their compositions were not available for inclusion in the multi-variate analyses reported below; their compositions, which are discussed on p. 83, are given here:

35 McArthur, J., Archaeometry xx (1978) 177–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

36 Fossey, J. M., Teiresias (Archaeologica (1978) 5.Google Scholar

37 Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 29); cf. also Härke, H., PZ liii (1978) 165276.Google Scholar

38 Sacconi, CIV.

39 But little or no data relevant to this point have been published by either laboratory in the past.

40 Evaluation of the total experimental error is complex, and the following figures are merely estimates derived from a large body of data covering wide concentration ranges; c ± 15% of the determined Fe, Ti, Mn and Ni contents, c ± 20% of the determined Al, Mg, Ca and Na contents and c ± 20–25% of the determined Cr content. A fuller treatment of this matter will appear in a forthcoming review of pottery composition and provenance studies being prepared by REJ.

41 A tungsten carbide drill head was used; an area on the cross section of the sherd, or, in the case of whole (restored) jars, on the base, was cleaned, and the first drillings discarded. A single hole was then drilled and powder collected. Some of the Theban jars had been heavily restored, and particular care was taken to avoid contamination with gypsum.

42 Except for the clay samples which were crushed and dried at 110°C before analysis.

43 The samples, whose spectra were recorded on a series of photographic plates, were calibrated with three Mycenae standards per plate.

44 i.e. they were sub-samples.

45 The compositions of these eight Theban ISJ samples given in Table 3 are the new ones.

46 This point will be discussed in more detail by REJ (supra, n. 40).

47 Mountjoy, Jones and Cherry, op. cit. (supra, n. 32).

48 As before, the ICL 1906S computer at Sheffield University and the CDC 7600 computer at Manchester University were used. Step-wise discriminant analysis, principal components analysis, t-tests, scatter plots and a variety of basic data listings and cross-tabulations were all produced within the packages SPSS 5 (Sheffield) and SPSS 6 (Manchester), using subprograms DISCRIMINANT, FACTOR, T-TEST, SCATTERGRAM and CROSS TABS; these are usefully documented in Nie, N. H., et al., Statistical package for the Social Sciences (2nd ed., 1975).Google Scholar For cluster analysis, the program CLUSTAN was used; details in D. Wishart, CLUSTAN IA User's Manual (1969).

49 e.g. J. E. Doran and F. R. Hodson, Mathematics and Computers in Archaeology (1975); Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 29); Prag, A. J. N. W., et al., Archaeometry xvi (1974) 153–88CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Attas, M.et al., Archaeometry xix (1977) 3343CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Hammond, N.et al., Archaeometry xviii (1976) 147–68CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Bieber et al., op. cit. (supra, n. 32); Mertz et al., op. cit. (supra, n. 32); Ward, G.K., Archaeometry xvi (1974) 4153CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Wideman, F.et al., Archaeometry xvii (1975) 4559CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Sieveking, G. de G.et al., Archaeometry xiv (1972) 151–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

50 Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 29).

51 Catling, Richards and Blin-Stoyle, op. cit. (supra, n. 9); Picon, M.et al., Archaeometry xvii (1975) 191–99CrossRefGoogle Scholar; cf. supra, n. 31.

52 Harbottle, G.Archaeometry xii (1970) 2334CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Bieber et al., op. cit. (supra, n. 32); Mountjoy, Jones and Cherry, op. cit. (supra, n. 32) 164, n. 76.

53 Harbottle, op. cit. (supra, n. 52).

54 i.e. by subtracting from each case the mean values for each element and dividing by the standard deviation.

55 cf Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 29) 223; Harbottle, op. cit. (supra, n. 52).

56 i.e. 12 of the 36 pairs show a correlation coefficient higher than ± 0.5; this value corresponds approximately to a 0.05 significance level.

57 See, for example, Mountjoy, Jones and Cherry, op. cit. (supra, n. 32).

58 Also referred to as canonical variates analysis. For other applications of this technique to Aegean ceramics, see Mountjoy, Jones and Cherry, op. cit. (supra, n. 32); Attas et al., op. cit. (supra, n. 49); McArthur and McArthur, op. cit. (supra, n. 27). For details of the technique itself, see, for example, Doran and Hodson, op. cit. (supra, n. 49) 209–13; Davis, J.C., Statistics and Data analysis in Geology (1973) 442–56Google Scholar; also Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 29) 232–33. It should be noted that Euclidean distances in the transformed space created by multiple discriminant analysis corresponds to Mahalanobis D2 distances in the original space, putting this technique in line with the distance measures advocated, for instance, by Bieber et al., op. cit. (supra, n. 52) 67; Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 29) 232. The technique also eliminates the duplication involved with correlated elements noted above (p. 68).

59 But Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 29) 233 quite rightly cautions against reaching such decisions too soon; as noted in this analysis and many others, elements useful or essential for defining some composition types may be of little value for others, and vice versa.

60 In the step-wise method, the independent variables (elements) are selected for entry into the analysis sequentially on the basis of their discriminating power; the ‘next best’ discriminator is entered at each step.

61 This problem is discussed further in the following section; it should be stressed, however, that the Knossos control itself is satisfactory, forming a reasonably tight and well separated cluster of points when plotted in the space defined by the first two discriminant functions.

61 bis Omitting from consideration the five sherds of Chania brown ware, as discussed below.

62 These results may be compared with the discriminant analysis of McArthur and McArthur, op. cit. (supra, n. 27) 78; they were, of course, analysing wholly different samples (the 25 ISJs of C and M's 1965 analysis). On their single function accounting for 91% of the total variance, Mg, Ni, Ca, Cr and Fe achieved significance; in our analysis, Ca and Fe were ranked 6th and 9th in order of discriminating power.

63 t-test values significant beyond the 0.01 level were obtained for Al, Mg, Fe, Cr, Ca and Ni; those for Ti, Mn and Na had probability levels of 0.11, 0.13 and 0.43 respectively, and cannot be considered significant. The significance of the differences between the overall means for the two groups in n-dimensional space would, of course, have to be examined by a multivariate t test such as Hotelling's T (Davis, op. cit. (supra, n. 58) 433).

64 Compositions of calcite tempered pottery from Neolithic Lerna have high Mn contents.

65 Doran and Hodson, op. cit. (supra, n. 49) 190–7; Nie et al., op. cit. (supra, n. 48) 468–514; S. Daultry, Principal Components Analysis (1976): Davis, op. cit. (supra, n. 58) 478–500; Mountjoy, Jones and Cherry, op. cit. (supra, n. 32) 164–65. It should be noted that the component weights reported in Table 9 are those on the rotated matrix, in order to enhance the interpretability of the components in terms of the input variables.

66 The importance of the weights is expressed by the absolute values, not by whether they are positive or negative.

67 cf. Mountjoy, Jones and Cherry, op. cit. (supra, n. 32) FIG. 6; The scatterplot is not reproduced in the present paper.

68 These two clusters only fused at a dissimilarity coefficient level of c. 80, whereas all other point and cluster fusions occurred at levels of below c. 25. It should be noted that the choice of the number of groups regarded as significant is a largely subjective decision reached on the basis of the overall morphology of the dendrogram.

69 cf. Cherry, and Hodges, R., Antiquaries Journal lviii (1978) 299309CrossRefGoogle Scholar, FIG. 4; Hammond et al., op. cit. (supra, n. 49) FIG. 4.

70 See below, p. 81.

71 vacat.

72 This is Group I in the most recent and exhaustive study of Wilson, op. cit. (supra, n. 20) 88–91 and 102.

73 A point stressed recently by Fossey, op. cit. (supra, n. 36)

74 The designation of samples to the category ‘Uncertain’ in Table 11 implies that they have not been satisfactorily assigned to any of the control sites considered in this study.

75 Mountjoy, Jones and Cherry, op. cit. (supra, n. 32).

76 The samples from the Armeni and Pygi cemeteries were kindly provided by Mr. Y. Tzedakis.

77 Asaro, F. and Perlman, I., Acts of the International Symposium The Mycenaeans in the Eastern Mediterranean, Nicosia (1973) 213–24.Google Scholar

78 A distinction must be made between these fabrics and another probably local ware of the LM III period. This has a granular fabric with small black grits, the colour ranging from light grey (5YR/7/2) to light olive grey (5Y/6/2). The chemical composition of this ware has not yet been determined.

79 Only the compositions of the grey clay has been included in the multivariate analysis.

80 Maniatis, Y. and Tite, M. S., Thera and the Aegean World I (London, 1978) 483–92.Google Scholar

81 The initial survey made by C and M included the following sites: Thebes, Orchomenos, Gla, Kalami, Eutresis, Pyrghos and Arma. More recent analytical work has been conducted by Miss S. White on material from: Dramesi, Chalia, Kynos, Anthedon and Arma.

82 Jones, R. E. & Jones, C. B.Journal of Field Archaeology, v (1978) 471482.Google Scholar

83 Work of this kind is currently being carried out by Dr. J Riley at Southampton University.

81 See p. 56.

85 Jones, R. E., Thera and the Aegean World I (London 1978) 471–82.Google Scholar

86 McArthur, op. cit. (supra, n. 35).

87 Prag et al., op. cit. (supra, n. 49).

88 These factors were republished by Frankel, D.. Hedges, R. and Hatcher, H., RDAC (1976) 3542.Google Scholar

89 eg. Mg 3–4%, Ca 10–15% and Fe 7–9%.

90 This regrettable fact will be rectified in a forthcoming publication by REJ (supra, n. 40).

91 Millett, A. and Catling, H. W., Archaeometry x (1967) 7077.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

92 This is currently taking place at Oxford with the cooperation of the University's computing centre and through the use of its ICL 2980 computer. The scheme was initiated by R. Hedges and Professor J. Boardman.

93 As will be noted in more detail below, in a few cases jars which carry the same inscriptions fall into different subgroupings (α, β) within the W. Cretan material. In all these cases, however, the aberrant vessel proves on investigation to fall into an uncertain ‘middle zone’ between the two groupings.

94 We can surely exclude a third possibility, suggested by E. Hallager in his discussion of the resemblances between 78 = KH Z 5 ]de-so[) and the Thebes jars carrying the name ta-de-so, ta- *22-de-so, that the similarities are due to a scribal tradition (OpAth 11 (1975) 67 f). Given the wide variety of the signs found on jars, it is difficult to believe that there can have been a strong tradition as to how any of them should be written; and the chances of the similarity between the de's on the Chania and Thebes vessels in question being due to scribal tradition have been reduced by the discovery (since Hallager wrote) of a de on a Mycenae pottery fragment (Z 716) which is of a quite different pattern (and much more like the de's found on the tablets).

95 J. Cherry, per litteras.

96 See VIP 117.

97 See VIP 102, n. 78.

98 Hallager, loc cit (n. 3 above); Raison, J., Nestor (1 November 1975) 1016Google Scholar; Godart, L., PdP 31 (fasc 166) (1976) 121Google Scholar; Killen, J.T., Mycenaean Geography (ed. Bintliff, J.) (1977) 46.Google Scholar For further discussion, see Hiller, S., Kadmos 15 (1976) 112.Google Scholar

99 Cf. Hallager, op. cit. 74.

100 See Raison, op. cit. 80.

101 Hart, G.R., Mnemosyne 18 (1965) 19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

102 In the Dn flock totalling records separate figures are provided for “collector” and “non-collector” animals (see Olivier, J.P., SMEA 2 (1967) 7193Google Scholar); Lc (1) 535 is likely to be the totalling record for the “collector” workgroups in the Lc (1) CLOTH series (see Olivier, op. cit. 91); and a similar distinction between “collector” and “non-collector” may be made in totalling records for the Ld (1) series (see Killen, J. T., Colloquium Mycenaeum (Actes du sixième colloque international sur les textes mycéniens et égéens tenu à Chaumont sur Neuchâtel du 7 août au 13 septembre 1975) (1979) 155.Google Scholar

103 For further discussion on whether the place-names on jars indicate where the vessels themselves were made or where there contents were produced, see Section III below.

104 In the Dn SHEEP totalling records (see Dn 1093), it is associated with *56-ko-we, and this in turn has associations with ku-do-ni-ja (see eg G 820) and with other places known to be in or towards the west.

105 See the previous note.

106 For further discussion of this question, see Palmer, L.R., Colloquium Mycenaeum (1979) (see n. 10 above) 48.Google Scholar

107 For possible evidence for links between e-ra and da- *22-to, see Palmer, loc cit 44 ff.

108 Papapostolou, in AAA 8 (1975) 4245Google Scholar; Papapostolou, , Godart, and Olivier, , Grammiki A sto Minoiho Archeio tôn Chaniôn (Rome, 1976).Google Scholar Note also, Papapostolou's publication of the sealing from the same find, Ta Sphragismata tôn Chaniôn (Athens 1977).

109 CMP 52.

110 Op Arch VI (1950) 264, n 4.

111 Kadmeia 1.

112 GAC 244–245. Spyropoulos, Th. (with Chadwick, J.) The Thebes Tablets 11: Minos Supplement 4 (Salamanca 1975).Google Scholar

113 See also Spyropoulos, in AAA 4 (1971) 32 ff.Google Scholar

114 Gnomon 47 (1975) 313–316.

115 AJA 78 (1974) 88–89.

116 RA 1977, 79–86, esp 83ff.

117 VIP.

118 As Snodgrass has already pointed out, Gnomon 47, 313.

119 Kadmeia 1.

120 Thebes Tablets II.

121 AAA 7 (1974) 162–173.

122 AR 1972–73, 50ff.

123 VIP 46ff.

124 VIP xxxviii.

125 VIP 52, note 206.

126 Nos 891–92, 894–96, 898, 910, 913, 925–26, VIP plates, VII, XVIII–XXIV, XXXVI.

127 See, for example, Boardman On the Knossos Tablets 72ff; Popham, , Last Days of the Palace at Knossos (London, 1964), pls 3, 4Google Scholar; Popham, , ‘Notes from Knossos, Part 1’ in BSA 72 (1977) 185196Google Scholar, especially 189 and pl 27, c-d.

128 AD 24 (1969) Chronika 180; the text, and comment, is published by Sacconi, in Vestigia, : Akten des VI. Internationalen Kongresses für griechische u. lateinische Epigraphih (Munich, 1972) 417419.Google Scholar See also CIV 54, 173 and plate LIX.

129 Kadmeia 1, 20 and pl 22. fig 33, 9.

130 AD 24 (1969) Chronika 185–6. For the site see also GAC 250–51, site G.38.

131 AJA XL (1936) 426–431.

132 See VIP, 123, n 7.

133 VIP, 136, with ibid n 51.

134 AAA 7 (1974) fig 13 and pp 22–3; op. cit. ‘Nouveaux textes en Linéaire B de Tirynthe’, 25. See also Führer durch Tiryns (1975) 186–189 and fig 91.

135 AD 23 (1968) Chronika 417–418; PAE 1968, 133–138.

136 Op Ath XI (1975) 53–86, esp 72–73.

137 On the Knossos Tablets 76.

138 Raison faces this problem VIP 141, n 92, without coming to a very definite conclusion.

139 Notes on Prehistoric Pottery Groups from Central Greece (Athens, privately published, 1972) 40.

140 Godart, L. and Sacconi, A., Les Tablettes en Linéaire B de Thèbes, Incunabula Graeca LXXXI (Rome 1978).Google Scholar

141 We are indebted to Dr K. Kilian for this drawing.

142 The control samples were selected to reflect as far as possible a range of fabrics from each site and of a date contemporary with the test samples. The range of sites was restricted, in order to maintain the study within manageable proportions, to those producing test samples, while Palaikastro was included — for obvious reasons — as a ‘marker’ for east Crete. A small number of samples of raw clay and modern brick were also considered for comparative purposes.

143 Additional comments on this material appear in section 5.

144 We are grateful to Miss J. Moody for collecting this and other clay samples from the Chania region.