Chapter 37 - Creto-Mycenaean Glyptic in LM II/LH IIB–IIIA1

Summary

Signet rings and seals become, in tholoi and chamber tombs, one of the principal indicators of the status of the deceased. It is sometimes difficult to determine exactly which products belong to this period. Pure Late Minoan (LM) II/Late Helladic (LH) IIB–IIIA1 contexts are rare, and the seals found in them could of course be antiques. Inversely, seals from this period could have been used later, until the end of the Mycenaean palaces, like those used to imprint a number of sealings (Figure 37.6) found in the Pylos palace (Pini 1997, 82–91). Furthermore, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between Minoan seals and Mycenaean ones: the Knossian workshops and those of the main Mycenaean centres use the same techniques and motifs, and the circulation of objects between Crete and mainland Greece prevents us from using provenance as a decisive criterion.