1 Rice 1987, 52.

2 See Voyatzoglou 1997. But see also Childe 1956, 49: “Ethnographic parallels in fact afford only clues in what direction to look for an explanation in the archaeological record itself.”

3 Poursat 1996, 111.

4 Sakellarakis and Panagiotopoulos 2006, 57; Petrakos 1988, fig. 139; Traunmüller 2009, 38.

5 Sakellarakis and Panagiotopoulos 2006, 57; Traunmüller 2009, 36–9.

6 Leach 1960, 43; London 1989, fig. 35; Noble 1984, fig. 1.

7 Gifford 1992, 19. For a more detailed study of clays and their composition, see Jones 1986.

8 C. Siart, pers. comm. A potter from Margarithes collected several clay samples from the immediate vicinity of Zominthos and fired a small amount of pots from them. The overall characteristics of the fabrics were quite comparable to those of Minoan vases; however, observable differences in colour may have been due to the firing in an electric kiln.

9 See also Arnold 1989, 32.

10 Hampe and Winter 1962, 88.

11 Noble 1984, 31.

12 The ultimate concern in making clay vessels is a material’s plasticity and workability.” See Rice 1987, 52.

13 Evely 2000, 263.

14 See Evely 2000, figs. 105, 116; Schreiber 1999, figs. 2.8, 2.9, 3.1; Morrison, Park 2007–2008, figs. 1–2, 4; Rieth 1960, figs. 36–37, 39, 50–51, 55, 58.

15 Soles 2003, 37; Morrison and Park 2007–2008.

16 Evely 2000, fig. 116 top.

17 Hampe and Winter 1965, 146.

18 Evely 2000, 289–96.

19 For the decoration of pithoi, see Christakis 2005.

20 Evely 2000, 298.

21 Evely 2000, 300.

22 See, for example, Evely 2000, 298–300; Maniatis and Tite 1978, 483–92; Noll 1991, 83–118.

23 Evely 2000, 317.

24 Eckstein 1974, 26–7.

25 See, for example, Hampe and Winter 1962, 104; Blitzer 1984, 145; London 1989, 52.

26 London 1989, 52.

27 MacGillivray 1987, 277.

28 Carinci 1997, 321.

29 Hampe and Winter 1962, 5.

30 Maybe we ought to put aside modern views of productivity and the obligation to work day by day. In a society where goods were produced only when needed and only in sufficient numbers, a long period of rest during the winter months appears at least imaginable. This may vary considerably from site to site but a general tendency towards a period of rest or at least limited activities during the winter months including agriculture and seafaring is well attested for the Aegean and Crete.

31 Knappett 2001, 85; Palaima 1997, 410. The name pi-ri-ta-wo is listed on PY En 467 and Eo 371, qe-ta-ko is mentioned on Cn 1287.4.

32 Brumfiel, Earle 1987, 5–6.

33 Costin 1991.

34 Knappett 2001, 87–94.

35 See also Branigan 1983, 26.

36 For depictions of human beings on seals, see Yule 1980, 118–21.

37 See, for example, Morgan 2005.

38 Walberg 1976, 194, figs. vi.1–4.

39 Michaelidis 1993, 26; CMS II.2, nos. 118a, 178a, 179a, 190a; Yule 1980, pl. 2, nos. 34, 37, 39.

40 CMS XI, no. 122a.

41 Kenna 1960, 92–3, nos. 38–39, pl. 2; Michaelidis 1993, figs. 9a, b.

42 CMS XIII, no. 80; Michaelidis 1993, fig. 9c.

43 Michaelidis 1993, 26–7; Bennet et al. 1956, 6.

44 Hampe and Winter 1962, 92–3; London 1989, figs. 41–56.

45 Singer et al. 1958, figs. 232, 234, 243; Michaelidis 1993, fig. 10.

46 Bech and Gregersen 1997, 43.

47 Hiller 2004, 384; see also Haskell 1997, 107: “… although the Linear B tablets make very few references to pottery production, we all know that Mycenaean pottery in the IIIB period was produced in great abundance. But, bureaucrats at central administrative centers reveal little direct interest in pottery production.”

48 Hiller 2004, 383; Whitelaw 2001, 71.

49 ke-ra-me-u (Nom. Sing.) on PY Cn 1287; ke-ra-me-we (Nom. Dual) on PY An 207; ke-ra-me-wo (Gen. Sing.) on PY En 467 and PY Eo 371; ke-ra-me-wi (Dat. Sing.) on MY Oe 125; the female form ke-ra-me-ja is found on Kn Ap 639. See Ventris and Chadwick 1973, Glossary 553.

50 The name pi-ri-ta-wo is listed on PY En 467 and Eo 371, qe-ta-ko is mentioned on Cn 1287.4.

51 Whitelaw 2001, 71, 79, fig. 8.

52 Day et al. 2006, 28.

53 See especially Evely 2000, 547–60 for ancient parallels.

54 Foster 1987, 12.

55 Foster 1987, 12.

56 Foster 1987, 15.

57 Foster 1987, 15; see also Evely 2000, 557–58.

58 See Eyre 1987, 26–7.

59 Eyre 1987, 26–7; Evely 2000, 555.

60 See, for example, Moussa and Altenmüller 1977, fig. 10.

61 Eyre 1987, 31.

62 Eyre 1987a, 199–200.

63 Eyre 1987a, 199.

64 In the “Lehre des Bw3-Htjj” a father urges his son to become a scribe in order not to suffer from the consequences of hard work connected to several crafts, including pottery. The description of the potters gives a hint at the low social position of these people in Ancient Egypt: “Der Töpfer ist unter der Erde, obwohl seine Lebenszeit noch unter den Lebenden ist, indem er sich in das Feld hineinwühlt mehr als die Schweine, um seine Gefäße zu brennen.” See Helck 1970, 53–7.

65 Hampe and Winter 1965, 13: “Die Töpfer müssen fieberhaft arbeiten, um nur das Notwendigste zum Leben – einem sehr bescheidenen Leben – zu verdienen.”

66 Arnold 1989, 196.

67 Arnold 1989, 197.

68 Hodges 1974.

69 For an example of a tripartite division of a workforce, see Steinkeller 1987, 100–1. He distinguished “(a) workers employed full time in productive type of labor, without means of production, receiving rations throughout the whole year …; (b) workers employed part-time in productive type of labor, with means of production, possessing land allotments in return for services, receiving rations for the duration of their work duty, cultivating their land allotments themselves …; (c) managers (various types of administrators, military officers, priests, etc.), employed full time in non-productive type of labor, with means of production, possessing land allotments in return for services, their land allotments being cultivated by the workers of the a and b categories”.