In Palatial Crete, this centralized power consisted of the palaces and, later, the villas. According to Branigan, the five primary economic functions of Minoan palaces from Middle Minoan III to Late Minoan I were (1) production of manufactured goods, (2) consumption of food and manufactured goods, (3) regulation of local and internal exchange, (4) regulation of international and external exchange, and (5) use as depositories (Branigan 1987, 245) (see Image 5.1).
The production and storage of manufactured goods are evident from the digs at Phaistos and Mallia. Excavations of the earliest phases at Phaistos (Middle Minoan I-Middle Minoan II) revealed two areas dedicated to economic activity. Unit A contained several large storage vessels originally filled with foodstuffs, including liquids such as wine and oil. Nearby Unit B was the palace workshop. Here, excavators found tools used for stoneworking (a lapidary workshop), several loom weights (a weaving workshop), and two potter's wheels (a ceramics workshop). Clay sealings from a smaller room in Unit B may indicate where finished products were processed for storage or export. By the second phase of the palace, there were even more food storage vessels present, and an actual archive room was created (Branigan 1987,247).
Similar finds appeared at Mallia. In the northwest quarter of the palace, excavators discovered obsidian, soapstone, and a reddish stone called rosso an-
Tico, all evidently part of the lapidary workshop. A potter's workshop was also present within the palace walls. During the Middle Minoan II period, a bronze smithy was located just outside the palace walls. It is actually surprising that such an industry would be so close to any residential quarters, considering the unpleasant fumes given off by the work and the rather high potential for fires. Nevertheless, by the Middle Minoan III period, the palace walls were actually extended so that the smithy was located within the palace itself. Clearly, this was an industry over which the palace wanted to keep very close control (Pelon 1987, 269-271).
The role of Minoan palaces as depositories and regulators of local distribution and trade may be seen in the koulouras—large stone-lined pits located at Knossos, Phaistos, and in a slightly altered guise at Mallia. There is continued debate as to the purpose of these huge storage bins. Evans suggests that they were rubbish pits. Some modern scholars believe that they were giant tree planters. But the usual interpretation is that they were for grain storage, with the koulouras at Knossos being able to hold enough grain to feed 1,000 people and the koulouras at Phaistos being able to hold enough for 300 people (Preziosi and Hitchcock 1999, 80-81). In such a case, the palace would have received a substantial portion of the agricultural produce of the surrounding farms, stored it, and then distributed it to the more specialized, nonagricultural populace of the palace region.
Palatial control over foreign trade is more difficult to prove archaeologically, as there is often no way to determine where on Crete any specific item found abroad was made. One argument often brought to the fore is that only the palaces would have the capital (to use a modern term) to finance the goods and shipping for long trade journeys, not to mention to handle the risks of possible sea wrecks. Another argument, however, lies in the nature of the Minoan goods found abroad. For example, Kamares Ware pottery (see chapter 9) has come to light on the coasts of Cyprus, Egypt, Palestine, Canaan, and Syria (Wiener 1987, 261). This Kamares Ware is clearly a product of palatial manufacture. The ceramics from before and after the "classical" Kamares wares are clearly local creations—Knossian Ware being distinct from Mallian Ware. By contrast, the Kamares Ware made in the palaces is similar from palace to palace but is utterly distinct from the provincial wares (Walberg 1987, 284). Therefore, we might argue that the Kamares wares found in the Near East are definitely from palatial production centers. The number of foreign goods stored in the palaces, especially Zakro, also gives evidence for the palatial control of international exchange (Wiener 1987, 265).
World History
