House X at Kommos: A Minoan Mansion near the Sea. Part 1: Architecture, Stratigraphy, and Selected Finds (Prehistory Monographs)

House X is by far the largest and best appointed of the Minoan houses excavated at Kommos in south-central Crete, a Minoan harbor and settlement that later became the site of a Greek sanctuary. Situated on the seacoast of the western Mesara Plain, Kommos faces west toward the Libyan Sea. House X stands on the southern edge of the Minoan town, separated by a large slab-paved road from the monumental civic buildings built and used between the Protopalatial and Postpalatial periods. The description of the stratigraphic excavation of this elite house is published with numerous architectural plans along with the cataloged small finds and tables of data on the floral and faunal materials. The excavated fresco fragments are also discussed and illustrated. This volume presents the Late Bronze Age pottery from in and around House X, a large Minoan house at Kommos situated not far from the sea in South-Central Crete. This volume is richly illustrated with drawings, photos, and tables of data. Rutter's contribution complements the publication of the architecture, stratigraphy, and small finds in Part 1 (Shaw and Shaw, eds., 2012). Together, this pair of volumes offers a conclusion to a series of monographs (volumes I-V) previously published about the site (Shaw and Shaw, eds., 1995-2006). The Kommos series is now completed by the two-volume publication on House X. Kommos, located on the south coast of Crete, is widely known for its important sanctuary of the Greek period for its earlier role as a major Minoan harbor town. Volumes II and III in this series, dealing with the Minoan pottery, have already been published. Volume I, Part I (1995), offered a general introduction to the site, followed by chapters on the archaeological exploration of the area, its geology, fauna and flora, land use, as well as on the Minoan implements and industries. Now Volume I, Part II introduces the Kommos town (Joseph W. Shaw), and analyzes and interprets the houses on the hilltop (Maria C. Shaw and Lucia F. Nixon) and hillside (James C. Wright and John McEnroe). There is a catalog of miscellaneous finds from the houses (Mary K. Dabney, Katherine A. Schwab, Maria C. Shaw, John Bennet, Helene Whittaker, David Reese, and Olga Kryszowska), followed by synthetic chapters on town planning and domestic architecture (Maria C. Shaw) and site development (Joseph W. Shaw). Combined, the interrelated Kommos volumes present an unusually thorough, interdisciplinary interpretation of a prehistoric site in Greece. An excavation by the University of Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum under the auspices of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens Cover 1 Frontispiece 3 Title Page 4 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 List of Tables 10 List of Figures 14 List of Plates 18 List of Color Plates 22 Preface 24 List of Abbreviations 26 1. Architecture, Stratigraphy, and Diachronic Use of House X 28 2. The Frescoes 80 3. Miscellaneous Finds 102 4. The Faunal Remains 120 5. Summary and General Perspective 144 Concordance of Excavation and Catalog Numbers 158 References 166 Index 174 Tables 178 Figures 242 Plates 286 Color Plates 318 Pt. 1. Architecture, Stratigraphy And Selected Finds / Edited By Maria C. Shaw ; With Contributions By Maria C. Shaw ... [et Al.] Pt. 2. The Pottery / By Jeremy B. Rutter, Edited By Joseph W. Shaw And Maria C. Shaw. Edited By Maria C. Shaw And Joseph W. Shaw ; With Contributions By Maria C. Shaw ... [et Al.]. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. House X is the largest of the Minoan houses excavated at Kommos in south-central Crete, a Minoan harbour and settlement that later became the site of a Greek sanctuary. The description of the stratigraphic excavation is published with architectural plans along with the catalogued small finds and tables of data on the floral and faunal materials. The publication of the Hagia Photia Cemetery is planned in three volumes. This second volume about the excavation focuses on the pottery. The Early Minoan I tombs at Hagia Photia included the largest assemblage of vessels in Cycladic style known from Crete as well as vases from production workshops in Crete.