The Earliest Minoans in the South-East Aegean: a Reconsideration of the Evidence

Abstract

In the south-east Aegean, among the earliest finds reported to be Minoan were those of Italian excavators in the Dodecanese. A reference in 1928 to “numerosi avanzi di ceramica del tipo di Camares” in the Vathy cave on Kalymnos is typical (Maiuri, p. 114). Yet little imported Middle Minoan pottery has been published from the south-east Aegean. Many sherds described in preliminary reports as Kamares or MM (as were those at Vathy), when illustrated, have turned out not to be imports but local products. It today seems clear that around the time of the Shaft Graves, many pots with dark ground decoration copying Cretan designs were produced and distributed in this part of the Aegean. Largely on the basis of its decoration (believed in imitation of MM pottery), the discovery of such pottery in the south-east Aegean has been taken as evidence of contact with MBA Crete (Mee 1978: 134). I will argue here, however, that if the contexts in which it has been found are carefully examined, there is little evidence that this local dark ground pottery was produced prior to the beginning of the Late Minoan period; nor is there much unassailable stylistic evidence that it indeed was produced in imitation of MM styles. It becomes necessary to reconsider the evidence for contacts between Crete and the south-east Aegean in the MBA, and MBA settlement patterns in this area.

Reconstructing Cycladic Prehistory: Naxos in the Early and Middle Late Bronze Age

“…29 The only exceptions are two unique imports, a LMIA/IB blossom vase from house A (Praktika 1950, fig. 12) and a stray find of a zoomorphic rhyton (Doumas 1968), that could have reached Naxos as prestige gifts (Shallin 1993, 183 (Davis 1982). On the other hand, one should bear in mind that the number of Minoan finds has recently increased, because of the Dimitrokalli plot excavation and the detailed study of the material from Grotta by the present author, suggesting that the contacts between Naxos and Crete were closer than was previously thought.…”

“…15 Excavation Notebook 19791980;21-7-80 and 22-7-80;1984, 28-8-84;1985, p. 126 (Praktika 1967, 117-119). 16 For similar finds in other islands see Cherry and Davis 1982, 336. 17 Hadjianastasiou 1989.…”

Were the S.E. Aegean Islands deserted in the MBA?

“…The sherds in this fill date from MBA to LH III. Apart from the L-on-D sherd, reported to above (Davis 1982, context 1), there is another possible MBA fragment in the same fill (Weickert 1940, PL 24:2) of MH derivation (Furumark 1950, 202). If the fill is really later, we have to accept both sherds as MBA survivals into the LBA period.…”