The Chania Archaeological Museum permanent exhibition
Clay sealing
This clay sealing (seal impression), dubbed 'the Master Impression' is one of the most important finds from Minoan Crete. The sealing is circular, with traces of burning. The sealed object's imprint is on the back, while the front bears the impression of an oval ring bezel seal with a remarkable scene. It depicts a great complex of multi-storied buildings with many windows set in a rocky seaside landscape. Horns of consecration crown the buildings, which appear to be surrounded by a wall with two closed main gates. A central male figure dominates the composition as he stands over the buildings. He has long hair, wears the Minoan kilt and holds a scepter or spear in one hand. The building complex may represent a palace or city, and the man could be a ruler or a god. This is one of the very few depictions of cities in Minoan-Mycenaean art. It dates to the Late Minoan I period.
Exhibit Features
Date:
Late Bronze Age, 2nd half of the 15th century BC
Place of discovery:
Kasteli
Dimensions:
length: 0,028 m, width: 0,021 m, height: 0,1281 m, diameter: 0,0315 m
Material:
Clay
Inventory number:
ΚΗ 1563
Exhibition hole:
Showcase 11
Copyright:
Hellenic Ministry of Culture
Suggestive Bibliography
Ο μυκηναϊκός κόσμος: κατάλογος έκθεσης, Αθήνα, 1988, 214-215, αρ. 191