Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T05:56:27.699Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mycenae, 1968

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Lord William Taylour
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The principal object of the campaign was to demolish the great baulk that had purposely been left unexcavated from the very beginning to provide a record of the stratigraphy of the site.* This earth was now required by the Restoration Department of the Greek Archaeological Service to secure and safeguard the mud brick walls that were destroyed in a great fire in Late Helladic IIIB towards the end of the 13th century BC. The intensity of the fire had served to preserve these walls in their original state, though off axis, and they are the most complete examples of their kind on any Mycenaean site. The second object of the excavation was to uncover the rest of the plan of the LH IIIB walls which in the western sector of the site are buried below the postdestruction walls of LH IIIB/IIIC. The second objective was only in part accomplished because of the remarkable and outstanding finds that were brought to light, mostly under the great baulk. The work of their recovery sIowed down the excavation considerably. At the east central end of the great baulk a small room, c. 2 m. x 2 m., was uncovered that was filled with a great variety of clay objects in considerable disarray (PL. xra; see plan, FIG. I,I). Outstanding among these were idols from 0.50 to 0.60 m. in height of a kind that had never been found on the Greek mainland before, although somewhat similar examples are known from Gazi in Crete [I]

Type
Articles
Information
Antiquity , Volume 43 , Issue 170 , June 1969 , pp. 91 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 1969

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

* I am first of all indebted to Professor Marinatos for his encouragement and support, to Professor Mylonas for his help and advice on this excavation, to Mme Deilaki, Ephor of the Argolid, for all the facilities put at my disposal, and to Mr Deilakis for his technical assistance. Conservation and study of the pottery and finds were undertaken by Mrs Elizabeth French, assisted by Mrs Craig, Principal of Somerville College, Oxford, Mrs Sebastian Payne, and Mrs Heywood. To all of these I owe a special debt of gratitude. My thanks are due for the able work of the architect, Mr Michael Roaf of Christ Church, Oxford. I am also grateful to all those who supervised the work in the trenches: Mr Luke Readman of Corpus Christi College, Oxford (area i), Mr John Curtis of London University (area 2), Mr Anthony Harding of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (areas 3 and 4); and to Mr John Watson of King’s College, Cambridge, Mr Joost Crouwel of Amsterdam University, and Miss Marion Gram of Harvard University who worked on other areas.

The excavation would not have been possible without the financial help of Oxford and Cambridge Universities, the British Academy, and the Mediterranean Archaeological Trust. This is a material debt as well as one of gratitude.