• Bronze tool with bone handle



Bronze tool with bone handle
Bronze tool with bone handle

Bronze tool with bone handle

Ο-Ε549
Metal (Bronze), Bone
Most of the handle and awl are preserved. Almost intact.
Length: 8.5 cm.
Karphi
Settlement
Late Bronze Age. Postpalatial period, Late Minoan IIIC period.:
1200 - 1070 BC:
Gallery:
XI
Case:
113
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Postpalatial period (1300-1100 BC). Settlements. Sanctuaries. Tombs
Postpalatial settlements
Description
Bronze awl preserving a large part of the bone handle covering one end. The handle provided a better grip and protected the hand when applying pressure to the tool. Awls of this type were used to make holes or incisions in various materials. The awl was one of the most versatile tools, as it could be used in leatherworking and textile working, carpentry, pottery making and decoration, and for many other purposes. This particular awl belonged to the domestic equipment of one of the South Houses of the settlement of Karphi. No specific sites of industrial activity have been identified in the settlement, but various types of tool are found in every house. It seems that there were no specialised workshops serving the inhabitants’ needs, so every household had the tools and the knowledge necessary to meet its own requirements.
Bibliography:
Evely, D. Minoan Crafts. Tools and Techniques. An Introduction. Volume II. Jonsered, 1993, 88, fig. 38:2. Pendlebury, J.D.S., Money-Coutts, M.B. "Excavations in the Plain of Lasithi. III. Karphi. A City of Refuge in the Early Iron Age in Crete." Annual of the British School at Athens 38 (1937-1938): 82, 115, pl. XXIX:251.
Author:
E. S.


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