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Early Christian pottery from Knossos: the 1978–1981 finds from the Knossos Medical Faculty Site1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2013

J. W. Hayes
J. W. Hayes
Affiliation:
9 Linton Road, Flat 1, Oxford, OX2 6UH
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Abstract

Here is presented, along with a revised overall site-plan indicating findspots, the late material from the BSA excavations in the northern cemetery area of ancient Knossos, prior to the construction of the present University buildings. These finds were excluded from the major published site-reports. They relate to the Early Christian martyrion-church complex noted in the preliminary site report. Dating from the period c. AD 400–650, they comprise some small deposits within the church complex, items placed in some of the many ossuaries (osteothekai) surrounding it, and in particular a well/cistern filling datable to c. 620–640 which may signal the end of use of the church (though perhaps not of the cemetery). The ossuary finds document a widespread sixth and seventh century burial custom—did the practice of depositing pots in funerary contexts then cease, due to religious censure? The well finds include the normal ‘export’ wares of the period, along with a class of Cretan(?) imitations of the African and Phocaean fine wares. Some wheelmade lamps have parallels from elsewhere in Crete; a class of very simple coarse bowls could be locally made. Several vessels bear graffiti, in particular a Phocaean Red Slip dish with two Christian dedicatory texts.

Type
Articles
Information
Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 96 , November 2001 , pp. 431 - 454
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 2001

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References

2 Coldstream, J. N., Catling, H. W. et al. , (eds), Knossos North Cemetery: Early Greek Tombs, 4 vols (BSA Supp. 28; London, 1996)Google Scholar. For the preliminary report on the site as a whole, see H. W. Catling, in AR 1978–9, 43–58; selected finds appear also in AR 1982–3, 51–3, with figs. 90–7.

3 Report by A. H. S. Megaw, in Catling (n. 2), 57–8; Megaw, ‘Cemetery church’. For the triconch apse arrangement of the church and a discussion of its likely function, see most recently Varalis, Y. D., ‘Deux églises à choeur triconque de l'Illyricum oriental. Observations sur leur type architectural’, BCH 123 (1999), 195–225CrossRefGoogle Scholar, with full bibliography (for this church, p. 225 no. 42).

4 Paton, S., ‘A Roman Corinthian building at Knossos’, BSA 86 (1991), 297–318Google Scholar, pls. 62–74.

5 An overall site-grid (based on both 1 m measurements and 10 m squares) was established by D. Smyth. Both systems appear on his 1: 200 scale ‘1st Provisional Plan’, dated 28 June 1978 (existing as a dye-line copy in BSA Maps Room, under File KMF 37 (343); original not now available). Both grids are numbered from the SW corner, I m readings in the form ‘92N 135E’ and similar, and grid squares as A–S (from west to east) 1–16 (south to north). Thus square A1 = 0–10E 0–x10N, square S16 = 170–180E 150 160N. ‘92N 135E’ (the location of the ‘Turko-Byzantine pit’, not marked on the published plans) corresponds to a point in square O10. All the excavated area falls within the grid limits. The modified version of Smyth's plan (dated October 1978) used in reduced form in the preliminary report omits both grid and square references.

6 Article cited n.I above, under Johnston, ‘Pottery’.

7 Preite, A. Dello, in Gortina, ii. 132–220, 230Google Scholar; A. Martin, ibid. 278–365; P. Rendini, ibid. 371–89. Stratigraphical contexts for this material arc regrettably deficient: see A. Martin's discussion of contexts, ibid. 25–74. The well documented series from more recent excavation seasons is still in course of study and publication.

8 Knossos appears to have lost much of its urban character after the mid-third century. The major building sequences revealed by excavations over the last sixty years and more appear to come to an end at about that time, and the cemetery finds follow a similar pattern. Hence the surroundings of the church complex, at the time of its construction, may have been predominantly rural in character, dotted with various part-ruined structures. The regularity of the spacious church enclosure argues in favour of ample open space.

9 For this later period (late 6th–7th a), see also the isolated (?) osteotheke finds (1974 discovery) from a location some hundreds of metres to the S(E): Catling, H. W. and Smyth, D., ‘An Early Christian osteotheke at Knossos’, BSA 71 (1976), 25–47Google Scholar, Pls. 4–5. These definitely belong to a later phase than the bulk of finds from the KMF site. The latest recorded coin from KMF is one of Heraclius (noted by Megaw, ‘Cemetery church’, 326).

10 The presence of such material in Herakleion proper is likely; some scrappy finds from G. C. Miles's excavations there in the 1960s may prove to belong to this period, and the publication of recent rescue excavations should reveal more. The few fragmentary ‘Arab’ finds presented in Warren, P. and Miles, G. C., ‘An Arab building at Knossos’, BSA 67 (1972), 285–96Google Scholar should date from a substantially later phase.

11 e.g. Robinson, H. S., The Athenian Agora, v (1959)Google Scholar, group N.

12 E. Prokopiou, Δύο τάφοι οστεοφυλάκια του ου μΧ αιώνα στην ανατολιμη νεκροπολη της Αμαθούντασ RDAC 1996, 273–84, pls. 39–43.

13 An isolated fragmentary piece may be present in the Agora excavations, Athens (P 33379: pers. obs.). A link with Dello Prcite and Martin's red-slip ware Group VIII (classed as ‘Cretan?’) at Gortyna is possible (for their classification see ‘Ceramiche ad ingobbio rosso’, in Gortina, ii. 201–10, pls. 36–41). The rim-treatment of their no. 17 (p. 200, pl. 37. 8) may be compared with B 12 and B 15 here.

14 See Vogt, C., ‘The early Byzantine pottery’, Pr. Elefth. i. 2. 37–199Google Scholar, and K. Aloupi, V. Kilikoglou, P. M. Day, and L. Joyner, ‘Provenance and technological characterisation of line tableware’, ibid. 207–35. Some of the many examples of Vogt's subgroup 12. 12 (e.g. figs. 7. 7, 8. 8) fall outside the normal Phocaean range of shapes. The identification of the source of this group (Phocaean or possibly Cretan) posed problems to the study team (see Vogt, comments pp. 56, 58, Aloupi et al., pp. 209 26 passim); possibly two wares with rather similar mineralogical and chemical features are present.

15 The basic presentation of these is that of A. Martin in Gortina, ii. 281–9, with figs. 60–119 (‘tipo a fiaschetta’), where other Cretan occurrences are noted. For the more recent Eleutherna finds, see Vogt, , in Pr. Elefth. i. 2. 94Google Scholar, fig. 46. 3–11.

16 See Johnston, ‘Pottery’.

17 See most recently Martin, A., in Gortina, ii. 339–41Google Scholar, pls. 115–16, and Vogt, , in Pr. Elefth. i. 2. 95Google Scholar, figs. 47–8.

18 Locations follow the site grid shown on FIG. 1. Layer numbers are cited thus: <I>, etc. Running context numbers for the whole site appear in the form #1037, etc. Estimated deposit dates are indicated. Form numbers for the Late Roman red-slip (RS) fine wares follow LRP, for Late Roman amphorae follow Riley, J. A., in Humphrey, J. H. (ed.), Excavations at Carthage … Michigan, i (Tunis, 1976)Google Scholar and elsewhere. The position of graffiti on items is indicated on the profile drawings by an oblique stroke between dotted lines indicating the upper and lower limits.

19 Location uncertain: perhaps the linear feature marked in site grid G–H/8–9?

20 Probably to be corrected to ‘15 m’.

21 See Megaw, ‘Cemetery church’, fig. 5.

22 Ibid.

23 Two worn coins of the period 388–425 are noted as coming from the fill of this structure (ibid. 326); three Phocaean RS dishes/bowls, preserved in large part, probably represent some of the latest finds here.

24 For these (Bass's type 2b) see Bass, G. F. and Doorninck, F. H. van (eds), Tassi Ada, i: A Seventh-Century Byzantine Shipwreck (College Station, Texas, 1982), 159–60Google Scholar, with nos. CA 18–20, figs 8.4 8.6.

25 A small number of Ottoman vessels (17th c. etc.; FIG. 14) were present in the area of the remains of a small hamam (Turkish bath) in grid squares L7, M7. These were the only significant finds of later date on the site.

26 The feature was excavated by J. Carington Smith (supervisor), R. Catling, and others.

27 Total sherd-count: 73 listed items (B 1–73), c. 1,580 other sherds (before mending).

28 Typology follows LRP (1972).

29 These are presumably local/regional products, though their texture and finish is not unlike that of N. African plain buff wares.

30 c. 780 sherds (before mending).

31 Close to Ephesos, iv. 2, pl. 10 no. 1878; cf. also nos. 1886, 1888.