Restudy of the fragments belonging to the LM IA Floral Fresco from the Unexplored Mansion at Knossos yields a more comprehensive reconstruction that focuses on the arrangement of the floral elements within their landscape setting and facilitates an examination of the composition within the context of Aegean art. The reconstruction suggests that the anonymous artist displays technical mastery and innovation which produce the unusual ‘anemone’, ‘frilled flower’, and ‘osier’ motifs, yet reveal an intimate knowledge of contemporary trends in both Minoan and Cycladic painting. Comparison with surviving fragments of landscape painting from the neighbouring Knossos town houses further suggests that LM IA artists actively participated in a competitive environment in which new pictorial motifs were invented to satisfy the demands of their patrons for novelty.

Evans excavated the West Magazines in 1900 and 1901. The entrances of the rooms, flanked by huge antae, were wide and it was apparent that reductions in their width were generally late in date. In supplementary excavations in 1904, a further entrance system was uncovered in Magazines VII–X and it was then obvious that Magazines XI–XIII had the same arrangement. In Evans's opinion, these door-jambs were inserted later than the antae, but subsequently fell into disuse, so that the magazines once again had wide entrances. In a guide to the Palace of Knossos, Alexiou pointed out that this procedure was so complicated that he preferred another sequence, the door-jambs being earlier than the antae. In 1994 the author studied the evidence still available in the magazines and arrived at the conclusion that this solution is the more plausible.

The account of a discovery of metallurgical débris in a LM III context at Palaikastro in BSA 91 (1966), 213–52 is critically considered, with particular reference to the nature of the deposit, the date of its context, and the suggested identification of certain cire-perdue mould fragments as part of the investment mould for a tripod ring-support of Late Cypriot type. Strong doubts are expressed at the correctness of this identification.

Thirty-nine copper-based objects from the Aegean region of Greece, covering the Late Neolithic, Early and Late Bronze Ages, but excluding the Middle Bronze Age, were analysed for their chemical content (twelve elements) by atomic absorption spectrometry. The results show that there was a gradual shift in copper metallurgy from pure copper (Late Neolithic), to arsenical copper (Early Bronze Age), to bronze (Late Bronze Age). The results tend to indicate that the same type of copper metallurgy existed throughout the Aegean in each period.

This paper presents previously unpublished material from the archives of the DAI and BSA, assessing its contribution to a better understanding of the settlement pattern on the north-east Aegean island of Lesbos in the Early Bronze Age, a period known only in terms of the single excavated sites of Thermi on its east coast. Using this new material evidence, the study places Thermi in its wider context within EBA Lesbos, demonstrating that several other EBA sites co-existed with Thermi, not only on the coast but also inland. It then places EBA settlements on the island in their west Anatolian context through an examination of ceramic parallels and affinities with mainland sites. It is argued: (1) that in view of the extensive distribution of EBA sites on Lesbos, colonization of the island must have begun long before the emergence of Thermi; (2) that several sources and mechanisms of colonization were involved in the process of settlement, which may be reflected in the fact that at least two distinct groups of sites can be identified on the island; and (3) that some of these sites appear to have relied upon agriculture rather than marine resources. Such inland agricultural sites may represent the first generation of purely endogenous communities which emerged on the island after its colonization.

The date of the destruction of the palace at Pylos is re-examined in the light of our increased knowledge of regional Mycenaean pottery, and a fresh phase of LH III pottery defined.

The statistical evaluation of NAA data for 250 Mycenaean potsherds from the Peloponnese (Achaea, Ayios Stephanos, Chora Ano Englianos, Nichoria, Olympia-Kolosakos, Peristeria, Palaiokastro and Platanos-Renia) resulted in twelve chemical groups defining the composition of pottery from the different regions. Earlier groupings of pottery from Ayios Stephanos and Nichoria were confirmed and chemical profiles were also produced for pottery from western Messenia and the north-east Peloponnese.

The north-east Peloponnesian groups are chemically very similar to Argolid pottery groups, such that the provenance of a group of early (LH I/II) pottery identified in this study, and of this chemical type, remains uncertain. This aside, the groups' chemical profiles are quite distinct from those representative of other areas of mainland Greece and Crete.

The cuneiform tablet from the Hittite capital Hattusa/Boğazköy, KUB XXIII. 13, reports Hittite warfare in western/north-western Asia Minor around 1240 BC, when the so-called Seha River Land fought against the Hittites and their king Tuthaliyas IV As the date of the war is contemporary with the sack of ‘Mycenaean’ Troy VI, there is a possibility that the conflict described in the tablet could have provided the historical background for the Iliad. Moreover, the etymology of the River Seha seems to be the same as that of the Scamander at Hisarlik, but the Dardanelles could also originally have had that name.

In May 1864, J. G. von Hahn sought to prove by excavation that the summit of Balli Dağ behind Pinarbasi was the citadel of Homeric Troy. This was the first systematic attempt to identify the site of Troy by archaeological rather than merely topographical evidence. Assisted by J. F. Julius Schmidt and Ernst Ziller, von Hahn excavated stretches of walling, including parts of the perimeter wall. These appeared to range in date from very early (‘Cyclopian’) to the second century BC. But he found no evidence that the site had been occupied in the pre-classical period. He concluded, however, that since Balli Dağ matched so perfectly the indications given in the Iliad, Homer must have visited the site and chosen it as the location for his poem. Von Hahn reported on his excavations in two letters (in German) to George Finlay, later publishing them in that form. Finlay's careful English translation of these reports, published here for the first time, follows a brief introduction.

In 1992–93 excavations were conducted in central Knossos, among the Minoan houses south-west of the Palace. This article describes the unexpectedly large amount of post-Minoan occupation there, casting new light on the extent to which the Hellenic town encroached upon the allegedly deserted Palace area. One Minoan house, much ruined, proved to have been reoccupied in the tenth century BC and again in the seventh. Nearby, a well-preserved pottery kiln of the early seventh century was discovered, and also a paved road of the fifth century which apparently ran across the ruins of the Minoan houses.

The pottery and other finds are presented in fourteen stratified deposits, mainly of the Early Protogeometric, Early Orientalizing, Late Archaic, and Classical periods. These are supplemented by important unpublished pieces from Evans's soundings in the immediate neighbourhood, confirming the extensive seventh-century reoccupation of the site.

The Greek temples on the summit of the citadel at Mycenae were discovered and partially cleared by Ch. Tsountas in 1886, but the major excavation was undertaken in 1939 under the direction of A. J. B. Wace. The results of this season have never been fully studied. This article is based upon a new examination of the material evidence and the documents in the Mycenae archives of the British School at Athens. Previously unpublished architectural drawings, photographs, plans, and sections make it possible to assess the nature of the Archaic and Hellenistic temples at Mycenae. The evidence points to the establishment of the cult in the Geometric period, along with the construction of the northern terraces, followed by a significant reorganization of the temenos and the construction of the first stone temple in the early Archaic period. Preliminary analysis of the preserved architectural elements indicates a strong connection between the Archaic temple at Mycenae and the early temples at Corinth and Isthmia. The well-known stone reliefs from Mycenae, dated c. 630 BC, should also belong to this early structure. In the third century BC, when Mycenae had been resettled as an Argive kome, the temple was rebuilt, incorporating Archaic material in its foundations.

Entasis, the slight outward curve of the column shaft, is a constant feature of fourth-century BC Doric architecture in the Peloponnese and at Delphi. In the buildings studied, the position of the maximum entasis is usually in the middle of the column shaft and, even though the degree of entasis varies, it is usually less pronounced than in fifth-century Doric columns. The relation between different mathematical formulae and entasis curves is also discussed; if Greek architects used a particular curve in the design of the column shaft, is it currently possible to identify it? The curves considered are the conic sections (circle, ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola) and the vertical projection of a helix. All the conic sections fit almost equally well in each individual building; therefore, if any particular curve was employed in the design, the simplest method of stretching a circle into an ellipse is a likely candidate.

This paper discusses four Hellenistic inscriptions in the Sparta and Larissa Museums recording decrees for foreign courts. New proveniences, from Krannon and Peparethos, are suggested for two of the decrees. A full restoration, based on a parallel document, is provided for the Peparethian decree. New readings and restorations are also offered for the two other decrees. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the significance of these texts for the history of the late Hellenistic period.

The island of Kea in the North Cyclades was well known in antiquity for its miltos, a naturally occurring red iron oxide valued for its colour and wide range of applications. By combining geological field work, physico-chemical analytical techniques, simulation (heating) experiments as well as simple laboratory tests, this paper describes the study of Kean iron oxides in an attempt to characterize this material which is still largely elusive in the archaeological record. The present work corroborates previous observations about the superior quality of some Kean iron oxides. Furthermore, it puts forward the hypothesis that miltos may have been considered an industrial mineral, and as such may have been used as an umbrella term for a variety of materials including mineralogically distinct purple as well as red iron oxides.

The aims of this article are to establish the extent of Vitruvius's knowledge of Athens, the other sources of his information on the city, and his preference for Hellenistic rather than Classical monuments. The following passages are analyzed: i, 6, 4, on the Tower of the Winds; ii, 1, 5, on a hut on the Areopagus; ii, 8, 9, on a wall at Athens which looks to Mt. Hymettus and Pentelicus, to be identified perhaps with the Long Walls between Athens and the Piraeus; iii, 2, 8, on the Olympieion; iv, 8, 4, on the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Sounias; v, 9, 1, on the Colonnades of Eumenes II, on the shrine of Dionysos Eleuthereus, and on the Odeion of Perikles; vii, praef., 12, on the Parthenon and on the harbour of the Piraeus; vii, praef., 15, on the architects of the Olympieion; vii, praef., 16–17, on the telesterion of Eleusis and on the Olympieion. The conclusions are that, after having followed Caesar through Asia Minor in 47 BC, Vitruvius came back to Italy via the coast of Attica and probably stayed at Athens, and that his preference for Hellenistic monuments must be explained in terms of his education in the Hellenistic taste of Asia, and in particular of Hermogenes.

This is the third and concluding report on the survey and excavations carried out on the site of the Roman Stoa at Sparta in 1988–91, following on from earlier reports in BSA 88 (1993), 219–86 and BSA 89 (1994), 377–432. It presents a catalogue and description of the most significant small finds and fragments of Byzantine wall-paintings recovered, gives a full list of coins found and their identities, and offers a detailed discussion of the environmental programme and its preliminary results. An appendix publishes the results of analysis of concrete samples from the ancient theatre at Sparta, taken during the excavations of 1992–95 (BSA 90 [1995], 435–60).

Graffiti have been found in a number of the churches in the medieval town of Paliachora on Aigina and elsewhere on the island. Recently two graffiti of sailing vessels were noted in the church of Agioi Anargyroi in Paliachora and it is suggested that their presence may be related to the maritime activities of the medieval inhabitants, pirate raids on the town, and the beliefs of fishermen and sailors.

The bibliography is intended as a tribute to Cook and his work, and as an aid to researchers in similar fields. Its main subdivisions reflect his interests—Asia Minor: archaeology, topography and history; Greece: archaeological and topographical studies; Attic Geometric and Protoattic pottery; Greek art (and other topics). Books, articles, and reviews are presented separately. The academic bibliography is preceded by references to material on the life of J. M. Cook, and succeeded by a list of obituary notices.