The late Minoan IB Marine Style

Abstract

The Marine Style motifs are examined and evidence suggests the possibility of dividing the octopus and argonaut into three types, A, B, and C. Types A and B are stylistic divisions but Type C is possibly also chronologically later. The origins of the Marine Style and its history in LMII are also discussed and a comparison is made with the Marine representations in other media. An examination of the shapes on which the Marine Style appears shows that the pear rhyton was possibly introduced in LMIB specifically for decoration in this Style, a fact which gives rise to the idea that Marine Style vessels were for ritual use. Shapes are added to the known repertoire after an examination of the sherds from Sir Arthur Evan's old excavations at the Palace of Knossos. Several different painters of the Marine Style are identified and it is postulated that a central workshop existed at Knossos. It is suggested that Marine Style vases were produced particularly for use in shrines and that production was not continuous but only on demand. This lengthens the period of time in which the small corpus of Marine Style vases was produced but it is unlikely that production continued during the whole of the LMIB period. A discussion of the fabric and decoration of Marine Style vases on the Mainland shows that many were produced locally by Mycenaeans copying Minoan ideas or by itinerant Minoan potters. Most of the vases and sherds are located in the Peloponnese (although there are isolated examples from Athens, Thebes and Lefkandi) and have been found in tombs.