Amnisos
Encyclopedia
Amnisos, also Amnissos and Amnisus, is a Bronze Age
settlement on the north shore of Crete
used as a port to the palace city of Knossos
. It appears in Greek literature and mythology from the earliest times, but its origin is far earlier, in prehistory. The historic settlement belonged to a civilization now called Minoan
. Excavation at Amnisos in 1932 uncovered a villa with a house known as the "House of the Lilies" after a lilies theme depicted in a wall fresco.
(Iraklio) on a beach used for recreation by the citizens of the modern city, which is the main port on the north coast. The current sea level is three metres higher than the Bronze Age
one. Drowned houses are visible.
The ancient settlement bears the same name as the river exiting there. Currently called the Karteros, from the Iron Age
name of Caeratus, the river was the Amnisos in the Bronze Age. Across from its mouth is a very small island called Amnisos. It is a seasonal river, reducing out of season to a stream running through Karteros Ravine from a source on Mount Ida of central Crete. The divinities, Amnisiades
, were associated with the river.
There was no navigable stream to Knossos, today part of the port city. The road was lined with very ancient cult sites. One is the cave of the goddess Eileithyia. It contained objects dating as far back as the Neolithic
.
in 1932, who discovered a villa that came to be termed "The House of Lilies" from the one fresco
that could be restored. The two-storey villa had ten rooms. There was a paved court, a hall with a polythyra, a kitchen area, a shrine and a bathroom.
The restored 1.8 m high frieze
from the second floor (first storey) depicts red and white lilies, mint, iris and papyrus growing in pots. Concerning the date, Matz has this to say:
If it is on the border between the Middle Bronze Age (Middle Minoan
, MM) and the Late Bronze Age (Late Minoan, LM) the fresco is an early, if not the earliest, instance of a style familiar to the early Late Bronze Age, LMIA
, or "Palace Period." Often termed the "naturalistic style", it flourished ca. 1570-1470 BCE. In it are stylized motifs from nature, especially floral, and courtly scenes. The original colors of red, blue, yellow and black were bright.
The house was destroyed by fire during LMIA
.
tablets mainly of Knossos
as a-mi-ni-so, reconstructed to *Amnisos. An example is Tablet Gg705 quoted by Ventris and Chadwick:
which records a votive offering from or at Amnisos to the goddess of childbirth, probably the one worshipped at the cave mentioned above. The word "a-mi-ni-so" was pivotal in Michael Ventris
' deciphering of Linear B
. Ventris had constructed elaborate tables with possible phonemic values for the syllabary's symbols and had correctly identified key grammatical features such as declension
al suffix
es. He then made the crucial educated guess that a particular word referred to Amnisos, the port of Knossos. The guess proved an inspired one, as it was correct and let all the other pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The date of the Knossos tablets is still uncertain but a net of Late Bronze Age certainly captures them. Amnisos is mentioned on the itinerary published on the statue base of Amenophis III at Kom el-Heitan, as an ambassadorial stop to Keftiu (Crete), dated ca. 1380 BCE.
By that date the residents of Knossos and almost certainly of its port, Amnisos, were speaking Greek. In the thumbnail historical sketch given by John Chadwick
in The Mycenaean World, Chapter 1, Chadwick writes:
Instead, they spoke the language written in the yet undeciphered script called Linear A
. These people, called Minoans by Arthur Evans
, were extremely influential at sea:
During this floruit the House of Lilies was occupied. Minoan civilization is not believed to have been warlike; there are few traces of arms and armor. They probably represented a mercantile hegemony, safe in their island home and protected by their fleet.
Around 1450 BCE the villa was burned along with all the other major sites in Crete except for Knossos. These events are generally interpreted as an interest in ruling the island by Mycenaean Greeks. As the name Amnisos evidences the pre-Greek -ssos suffix, they probably took the name as it was.
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
settlement on the north shore of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
used as a port to the palace city of Knossos
Knossos
Knossos , also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square...
. It appears in Greek literature and mythology from the earliest times, but its origin is far earlier, in prehistory. The historic settlement belonged to a civilization now called Minoan
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
. Excavation at Amnisos in 1932 uncovered a villa with a house known as the "House of the Lilies" after a lilies theme depicted in a wall fresco.
Geography
Amnisos is seven km east of HeraklionHeraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
(Iraklio) on a beach used for recreation by the citizens of the modern city, which is the main port on the north coast. The current sea level is three metres higher than the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
one. Drowned houses are visible.
The ancient settlement bears the same name as the river exiting there. Currently called the Karteros, from the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
name of Caeratus, the river was the Amnisos in the Bronze Age. Across from its mouth is a very small island called Amnisos. It is a seasonal river, reducing out of season to a stream running through Karteros Ravine from a source on Mount Ida of central Crete. The divinities, Amnisiades
Amnisiades
The Amnisiades were nymphs of the river Amnisus, Crete. Twenty of them formed part of Artemis's retinue, which was completed by sixty of the Okeanids....
, were associated with the river.
There was no navigable stream to Knossos, today part of the port city. The road was lined with very ancient cult sites. One is the cave of the goddess Eileithyia. It contained objects dating as far back as the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
.
Archaeology
Amnisos was first excavated by Spyridon MarinatosSpyridon Marinatos
Spyridon Nikolaou Marinatos was one of the premier Greek archaeologists of the 20th century.- Career :...
in 1932, who discovered a villa that came to be termed "The House of Lilies" from the one fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
that could be restored. The two-storey villa had ten rooms. There was a paved court, a hall with a polythyra, a kitchen area, a shrine and a bathroom.
The restored 1.8 m high frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
from the second floor (first storey) depicts red and white lilies, mint, iris and papyrus growing in pots. Concerning the date, Matz has this to say:
- "The blossoms ... are inlaid with coloured paste on a ruby ground, by a method similar to that used for inlaying intarsiaIntarsiaIntarsia is a form of wood inlaying that is similar to marquetry. The term is also used for a similar technique used with small, highly polished stones set in a marble matrix .- History :...
. This is a rare technical process. Dating is made possible by concurrence with vases originating from a Late MM IIIa level."
If it is on the border between the Middle Bronze Age (Middle Minoan
Minoan pottery
Minoan pottery is more than a useful tool for dating the mute Minoan civilization. Its restless sequence of rapidly maturing artistic styles reveal something of Minoan patrons' pleasure in novelty while they assist archaeologists to assign relative dates to the strata of their sites...
, MM) and the Late Bronze Age (Late Minoan, LM) the fresco is an early, if not the earliest, instance of a style familiar to the early Late Bronze Age, LMIA
Minoan pottery
Minoan pottery is more than a useful tool for dating the mute Minoan civilization. Its restless sequence of rapidly maturing artistic styles reveal something of Minoan patrons' pleasure in novelty while they assist archaeologists to assign relative dates to the strata of their sites...
, or "Palace Period." Often termed the "naturalistic style", it flourished ca. 1570-1470 BCE. In it are stylized motifs from nature, especially floral, and courtly scenes. The original colors of red, blue, yellow and black were bright.
The house was destroyed by fire during LMIA
Minoan pottery
Minoan pottery is more than a useful tool for dating the mute Minoan civilization. Its restless sequence of rapidly maturing artistic styles reveal something of Minoan patrons' pleasure in novelty while they assist archaeologists to assign relative dates to the strata of their sites...
.
Bronze Age history
Amnisos receives mention in a few Linear BLinear B
Linear B is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, an early form of Greek. It pre-dated the Greek alphabet by several centuries and seems to have died out with the fall of Mycenaean civilization...
tablets mainly of Knossos
Knossos
Knossos , also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square...
as a-mi-ni-so, reconstructed to *Amnisos. An example is Tablet Gg705 quoted by Ventris and Chadwick:
"Amnisos: One jar of honey to Eleuthia,
- One jar of honey to all the gods,
- ..."
which records a votive offering from or at Amnisos to the goddess of childbirth, probably the one worshipped at the cave mentioned above. The word "a-mi-ni-so" was pivotal in Michael Ventris
Michael Ventris
Michael George Francis Ventris, OBE was an English architect and classical scholar who, along with John Chadwick, was responsible for the decipherment of Linear B.Ventris was educated in Switzerland and at Stowe School...
' deciphering of Linear B
Linear B
Linear B is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, an early form of Greek. It pre-dated the Greek alphabet by several centuries and seems to have died out with the fall of Mycenaean civilization...
. Ventris had constructed elaborate tables with possible phonemic values for the syllabary's symbols and had correctly identified key grammatical features such as declension
Declension
In linguistics, declension is the inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles to indicate number , case , and gender...
al suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
es. He then made the crucial educated guess that a particular word referred to Amnisos, the port of Knossos. The guess proved an inspired one, as it was correct and let all the other pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The date of the Knossos tablets is still uncertain but a net of Late Bronze Age certainly captures them. Amnisos is mentioned on the itinerary published on the statue base of Amenophis III at Kom el-Heitan, as an ambassadorial stop to Keftiu (Crete), dated ca. 1380 BCE.
By that date the residents of Knossos and almost certainly of its port, Amnisos, were speaking Greek. In the thumbnail historical sketch given by John Chadwick
John Chadwick
John Chadwick was an English linguist and classical scholar most famous for his role in deciphering Linear B, along with Michael Ventris.-Early life and education:...
in The Mycenaean World, Chapter 1, Chadwick writes:
"Crete was occupied down to the fifteenth century by people who did not speak Greek..."
Instead, they spoke the language written in the yet undeciphered script called Linear A
Linear A
Linear A is one of two scripts used in ancient Crete before Mycenaean Greek Linear B; Cretan hieroglyphs is the second script. In Minoan times, before the Mycenaean Greek dominion, Linear A was the official script for the palaces and religious activities, and hieroglyphs were mainly used on seals....
. These people, called Minoans by Arthur Evans
Arthur Evans
Sir Arthur John Evans FRS was a British archaeologist most famous for unearthing the palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete and for developing the concept of Minoan civilization from the structures and artifacts found there and elsewhere throughout eastern Mediterranean...
, were extremely influential at sea:
"Around the sixteenth century the Minoan influence on the mainland becomes very marked."
During this floruit the House of Lilies was occupied. Minoan civilization is not believed to have been warlike; there are few traces of arms and armor. They probably represented a mercantile hegemony, safe in their island home and protected by their fleet.
Around 1450 BCE the villa was burned along with all the other major sites in Crete except for Knossos. These events are generally interpreted as an interest in ruling the island by Mycenaean Greeks. As the name Amnisos evidences the pre-Greek -ssos suffix, they probably took the name as it was.
External links
- Swindale, Ian, Amnissos
- Shaw, J.W., Bronze Age Aegean Harboursides
- The Tsunami Caused by the Prehistoric Eruption of Thera, Thera Foundation
- Villa of the Lilies, Hellenic Ministry of Culture site
- The Amnisos Gardens, Foundation of the Hellenic World
- Walberg, Gisela, Space and Perspective in Minoan Art