Kommos, An Excavation on the South Coast of Crete

Kommos is known for its important role as a major Minoan harbourtown. This volume introduces the town and interprets and analyzes the houses on the hilltop and hillside. Included is a catalogue of finds from the houses, and chapters on town planning and domestic architecture.

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Kommos, located on the south coast of Crete, is widely known for its important sanctuary of the Greek period and for its earlier role as a major Minoan harbortown. Volumes II and III in this series, dealing with the Minoan pottery, have already been published. Volume I, Part I (1995), offered a general introduction to the site, followed by chapters on the archaeological exploration of the area, its geology, fauna and flora, land use, as well as on the Minoan implements and industries. Now Volume I, Part II introduces the Kommos town (Joseph W. Shaw), and analyzes and interprets the houses on the hilltop (Maria C. Shaw and Lucia F. Nixon) and hillside (James C. Wright and John McEnroe). There is a catalog of miscellaneous finds from the houses (Mary K. Dabney, Katherine A. Schwab, Maria C. Shaw, John Bennet, Helene Whittaker, David Reese, and Olga Kryszowska), followed by synthetic chapters on town planning and domestic architecture (Maria C. Shaw) and site development (Joseph W. Shaw). Combined, the interrelated Kommos volumes present an unusually thorough, interdisciplinary interpretation of a prehistoric site in Greece.