New pottery from the Psychro Cave and its implications for Minoan Crete

Abstract

Recently discovered pottery from David Hogarth's 1899 excavation in the Psychro Cave is published in this study. The great majority of these vases can, on the basis of their fabric and decoration, be traced to Malia, Knossos and the Lasithi Plain. During the MM I-LM I A period most of the fine ware pottery dedicated at the Psychro came from Malia. The monumental size of the sanctuary and the large number (and the elite character) of the votives indicates that during MM I B-LM I A Psychro was the main extra-urban sanctuary for the polity centred at Malia. During LM I B-III A1/2 virtually all of the decorated vases from Psychro are Knossian. This change suggests that Mycenaean Knossos assumed control of the sanctuary during this time, and that some of these vases are those referred to in the Linear B tablet from Knossos KN. Fp 1 that lists dedications of oil sent to Dictaean Zeus.

Recognising polities in prehistoric Crete

“…Fortified or defensible sites within and around the Lasithi basin also suggest the area may not have been integrated into any polity during the Protopalatial period (Nowicki 1996). Pottery imports (Betancourt 2007), as well as ceramic dedications from the Malia lowlands at the Psychro cave (Watrous 2004), could have crossed the polity boundary, either episodically or continuously, and do not require political integration.…”

“…But whether these communities were ever integrated, or linked politically to a lowland palatial centre, remains unknown. The influx of Knossian ceramic dedications at the Psychro cave in LMIB (Watrous 2004) is intriguing, but need not represent Knossian political dominance.…”

Martial Minoans? War as Social Process, Practice and Event in Bronze Age Crete

“…At Psychro, the deposits include dozens of cast model and sheet-metal model swords, 15 spears 16 and double-axes along with functional daggers and spearheads (Boardman 1961; Rutkowski 1986, 57; Jones 1999, 10). In the Idaean cave at least 41 sword models were recovered (Watrous 1996, 58; Sakellarakis 1984) and ‘several’ such models are known from Phaneromeni cave (Watrous 1996; Jones 1999). From a Middle Minoan III – Late Minoan I context at Arkalochori, at least 9 unfinished Type A swords 17 were accompanied by many more cast model swords and sheet-metal models, amounting to more than 50 swords and models (Hazzidakis 1912–13; Rutkowski 1986, 58), 18 and alongside these there were ‘hundreds’ of bronze, 26 gold and 7 silver double-axes (Watrous 1996, 57; Marinatos 1935).…”

“…In the Idaean cave at least 41 sword models were recovered (Watrous 1996, 58; Sakellarakis 1984) and ‘several’ such models are known from Phaneromeni cave (Watrous 1996; Jones 1999). From a Middle Minoan III – Late Minoan I context at Arkalochori, at least 9 unfinished Type A swords 17 were accompanied by many more cast model swords and sheet-metal models, amounting to more than 50 swords and models (Hazzidakis 1912–13; Rutkowski 1986, 58), 18 and alongside these there were ‘hundreds’ of bronze, 26 gold and 7 silver double-axes (Watrous 1996, 57; Marinatos 1935). While the exact numbers and chronology (beyond Middle Minoan II – Late Minoan I) are often uncertain, it is clear that the vast majority of metal votives were in the form of weapons or model weapons in cave sanctuaries.…”

“…and Traostalos (Jones 1999; Kyriakides 2005; Briault 2007). However, from Jouktas, 35 sheet-metal model swords are known along with a bronze dagger and double-axes (Watrous 1996, 70–1). Models and a real dagger are also known from Petsophas (Davaras 1972, 652; Watrous 1996, 65; Jones 1999, 47).…”