Fragments of a vase, now in the Stratigraphical Museum at Knossos, from the excavations of Sir Arthur Evans (south-east Kamares Area, Dove Pit) are identified as Early Cypriot. Cypriot parallels are described from Bellapais, Vounous, and Lapithos. The vase is classed as EC IIIB/MC I, its Minoan context EM III/MM IA. A brief review is given of evidence for Minoan-Cypriot contact at the turn of the third and second millennia B.C.

The significance of Greek chevron and pendent semicircle skyphoi to the dating of I, IIA, IIB, and III at Veii, and thus the dating of the early Iron Age in Central Italy, is discussed. A survey of examples of chevron skyphoi from Greece defines and dates the various probable centres of manufacture: Athens, Corinth, Cyclades, Euboea, Crete, Rhodes, East Greece, Argolid. The Veii chevron skyphoi are assigned to their probable places of origin, and a later date argued for them (IIA 780–730, IIB 750–710). The pendent semicircle skyphoi from Veii are described. The chronology and typology of the psc skyphoi in general are discussed. It is argued that the major production centres of the psc skyphoi had shifted to the east by the late Geometric period.

The two categories of tomb are defined. Burial practice in Greece from MH onwards is discussed, chamber tombs being established as canonical in LH I, though these are not universal, and cist and pit burials continue. Chamber and tholos tombs occur over a wide area of the mainland in LH II; after LH II, except for children's burials, pits and cists are relatively rare, though they are found in chamber tombs. It is argued that chamber tombs were the general form of burial, and that cists and pits were not used, separately, for poor burials. Chamber tombs continue to be general in LH IIIC: simpler requirements and cremation lead to a revival of cists and pits, though chamber tombs do not totally die out, and in Crete continue to be the preferred form in Archaic times.

The paper describes a small ancient quarry in white and red variegated marble, located near Sitia in Eastern Crete. By examining the geological setting of marble occurrences in the district, and comparing the style of stoneworking with those reported from other ancient quarrying sites, it is possible to assess the viability of Cretan marble as a local building material in Classical times, and to speculate upon the role of one particular small quarry in providing such building material.

The pottery found in the Roman urban villa at Knossos (the Villa Dionysos), excavated in 1935 by R. W. Hutchinson and in several post-war seasons by Prof. M. R. E. Gough, is described. The circumstances and context of the discoveries are described, together with a general account of the types of fabric. Many examples are illustrated by drawings, and a full catalogue description is given of them, amphorae being treated separately. The bulk of the material is second century A.D. in date (part of the villa being destroyed in A.D. 170–80, other parts collapsing and being abandoned in the second quarter or middle of the third century A.D.).

A series of analytical descriptions is given, to reveal how defensive principles changed, and the extent to which tradition prevailed throughout the Byzantine period. In addition to those few works whose date is known from literature or inscription, others which seem to have been built in response to specific historical circumstances are included.

Material from earlier as well as recent excavations at Palaepaphos is considered; it is now clear that a considerable quantity of pottery was imported from the Aegean during the thirteenth century and earlier; this is summarily described. Evidence for a Chalcolithic settlement is analysed. Finally, pottery from the intervening Middle Bronze Age is advanced as an indication of occupation at Kouklia in MC II–MC III times.

Analyses are given of the clay composition of kiln waste from some production sites, and of excavated sherds of some distinctive wares, as a contribution to a possible archive aimed at localizing the origins of different classes of pottery found in archaeological contexts, and at clarifying trade patterns.

The type and decoration of the Ephyraean goblet and the length of its duration is discussed in the light of recent excavations. Its chronological range is defined as LH IIA–IIB/LM IB to before the end of LH IIB.

Minoan peak sanctuaries share certain topographic features. They are usually situated on or close to the summits of prominent mountains throughout Crete. Each peak sanctuary is closely associated with the surrounding settlement area, the relevant mountain being chosen for its domination of the local landscape. It is notable that the shrine sites are not always on the actual highest point of the massif, but on what appears to be the highest, most visible point from the valley below. Equally striking is the view from the sanctuary: it seems to have been important to be able to see the local settlements from the shrine itself. Significant too are the numbers of other peak sanctuaries visible from each site; perhaps this network united the country via a common peak sanctuary festival night (given the evidence for bonfires).

Accepting the close association between peak sanctuaries and settlements, it is argued that the apparent decline of those sanctuaries after LM I is a decline of numbers, not of cult importance. Evidence for this is quoted from the Iouktas shrine. Further, it is suggested that the ‘Mountain Mother’ sealing from Knossos was produced as a piece of religious propaganda to justify a change of rule there.

The control groups used in the earlier analysis (BSA 75 (1980) 151–61) have been enlarged. The range of suspected imports was extended with samples from Cyprus and Crete. It is concluded, as a result, that the majority of exports did originate in Euboea, though it is not possible to distinguish between kilns at Lefkandi, Chalkis, and Eretria. No conclusions were possible in the case of six sherds from Knossos. The results demonstrate early Euboean maritime enterprise.

This study was part of the work of the Cambridge-Bradford expedition to Boeotia. It gathers information on wild vegetation as part of the environment of, and resources available to, human activities. It is concerned with vegetation, with the structure, maintenance, and history of plant communities, rather than with flora, with individual plant species as such. The survey extends beyond the area of the archaeological survey (Mavromati), a highly cultivated area; in order to search for plant communities of a more nearly natural kind, this botanical study includes a much wider area covering almost the whole of the modern Boeotia (and beyond) from Mt. Parnassos to Chalkis. The land, geology, and soils are described as the essential context for the vegetation. Factors affecting modern vegetation are analysed, and the historical and archaeological evidence is discussed. It is concluded that, contrary to the general assumption, prehistoric Boeotia was a semi-arid land, both in classical and late Turkish times. The main features were very much as they are now, but this was not necessarily constant.

Finds of the Mediterranean Cone Shell (Conus mediterraneus Hwass in Bruguière 1792 = ventricosus Gmelin) from Neolithic and Bronze Age Greece are listed, and their use discussed.

Seals from Minoan contexts in the form of scarabs or scaraboids are, it is argued, Minoan rather than Egyptian in origin. They are related to the well-defined categories of Minoan seals of EM or MM date. Several belong to the Border/Leaf context, a large group of Minoan seals defined by I. Pini. Other Minoan techniques and motifs found on scarabs and scaraboids are discussed.

A rock-cut tomb excavated in 1978 at the south-west end of Lake Vouliagmeni, Perachora, contained the remains of some ten skeletons, and a large quantity of EH II pottery. The best-preserved examples of the pottery are described, and parallels for them adduced. It is argued that the tomb is an ossuary rather than a simultaneous burial.