Bamboula (…“Seal impressions…”) Benson 1955Jack L. Benson

11

griffin representations are not uncommon in the Late Bronze Age.[handwritten: 36] Most [handwritten: 37] of these, however, have a different cut and measure from the Bamboula example. Perhaps the most similar one occurs on the blade of a dagger from the Fifth Shaft Grave of Mycenae, which is dated much earlier than, on grounds which[handwritten: 38] will be discussed below, the Bamboula representation can be dated. [handwritten: also] It must be noted that the Bamboula creature does not have the usual crest, as it appears, for example, on a sealing from Zakro [handwritten: 39] executed with fierce realism.

Underlying the representation as a whole - whether it be sea-dog or griffin - is certainly the scheme of decoration which appears on the hearth of the Megaron in the III palace at Mycenae. [handwritten: Late Hellenic] This [handwritten: is a flame or] might be called a wave pattern, the repetitive crests of which challenged the seal cutter to breathe organic life into their rhythm. It is certainly not a common design: nothing much like it occurs in the ceramic repertory, although a somewhat similar argonaut design occurring on several Mycenean pyxides may be cited. All of these considerations bring us to a date, probably a fairly advanced date, in the III period for the Bamboula seal representation; in any case, not earlier than the fourteenth century B.C.

Right page

Sh 5795 two fragments (a,b) from the rim of a large storage jar; [handwritten: Fig.11 Pl. 10]; [handwritten: Fig.10 Pl. 9]; [handwritten: Fig.9 Pl. 8]; [handwritten: Fig.8 Pl. 7] probably a vat. The rim was greatly thickened and squared, which provided a large flat surface on top. [handwritten: Ceramic?] De Clay: pinkish brown throughout but light gray-green to light gray-pink on exterior surface. It is fairly full of fairly large dark sand particles with small white grits and was apparently straw-bound. The surface is quite coarse and rough with many pocks; it chips easily. The sherd may be classified as probably handmade ordinary Late Cypriote III pithos ware.