# Carpenter Hoards in Minoan Crete, tools for woodworking? Technological and functional study of copper alloy tools from Malia.

Valentin Loescher

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Valentin Loescher. Carpenter Hoards in Minoan Crete, tools for woodworking? Technological and functional study of copper alloy tools from Malia. Journées Bois Échanges interdisciplinaires sur le bois et les sociétés Rencontres internationales, Paris, INHA, 18-19 octobre 2021, Oct 2021, Paris, France. hal-03834988

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Submitted on 31 Oct 2022

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Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
# MAIN RESULTS

* Two carpenters hoards in Malia (Quartier Mu) appear to be well attested woodworking toolkits both typologically and by tool association. Lithic tools are a complementary association (Karimali 2008) to metal toolkits for woodworking (Loescher 2021).

* Tool hoards alone are not a significant proof for a workshop (Evely 1988) they should rather be considered as toolkits (Procopiou 2013) storaged pendind future use. They can create a workspace "wherever [they are] laid" (Gorgues 2017)

* A first referential of archaeological and experimental traces.

* No woodworking related traces could be identified, but manufacture traces such as polishing marks and indirect percussion (teeth setting) were recognized.

# AN ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECT

A PhD Thesis started in 2021 on "Woodworking in Minoan Crete (3200-1100 B.C.) : tool hoards, contexts and technology" with the aim to expand the investigation method to all 26 Cretan hoards previously identified as potentially related to woodworking.

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# CARPENTER HOARDS IN MINOAN CRETE, TOOLS FOR WOODWORKING ?
TECHNOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL STUDY OF COPPER ALLOY TOOLS FROM MALIA

## INTRODUCTION

How may we study woodworking when the material is not preserved in the archaeological record ?

During the Bronze Age in Crete (3200-1100 B.C.) there are hoarding practices of metal tools within the settlements (Blackwell 2018). 13 of them have been referred to as "carpenter's hoards" (Branigan 1969 ; Deshayes 1960 ; Evely 1993 ; Poursat 1985). From a first synthetic study (Loescher 2020) we identified a larger panel of 26 "tool kits" (Procopiou 2013) potentially related to woodworking. These attributions, which are based on typology and associations within the assemblages, remain however uncertain. The difficulties are due to the versatility of the tools and the use of the same techniques (sawing, cutting) in wood, stone and bone working.

This research therefore questions the functional attribution of metal tool deposits in Minoan Crete through a use-wear and an experimental approach.

## METHODS

### Use-wear analysis

Application to metal artifacts is a recent field in archaeological research (Dolfini, Crellin 2016 ; Kienlin, Ottaway 1998)

Referential of traces used (Gutiérrez, Munoz Moro 2020 : table 1).

Material : Optical Microscope Dino-Lite (x20 and x50).

### Experimentation

6 saws whose versatility is known from their archaeological context (Poursat 1996).

Recent developments of archaeological experiments around tools in the aegean world (Maragoudaki, Kavouras 2012 ; Maragoudaki 2019 ; Löwe Fri 2011)

Collaborations with :

* François Allier (Fonderie de l'Oppidum) for the reproduction

* LTDS (Tribology and Systems Dynamics Laboratory UMR 5513) for analysis

## BIBLIOGRAPHY

BLACKWELL N. 2018. « Contextualizing Myceanean Hoards : Metal Control on the Greek Mainland at the End of the Bronze Age », AJA 122.4, p.509-540.

BRANIGAN K. 1969. « Early Aegean Hoards of Metalwork », BSA 64.1, p.1-11.

DESHAYES J. 1960. Les outils de l'Age du Bronze, de l'Indus au Danube (IVe au IIe millénaire). 2 vol. Paris : Paul Geuthner, 425p.

DOLFINI A., CRELLIN R. 2016. « Metalwork Wear Analysis, The Loss of Innocence », JAS 66, p.78-87.

EVELY D.

1988. « Minoan craftsmen : problems of recognition and definition », in E. B. French & K. A. Wardl eds. Problems in Greek prehistory: papers presented at the Centenary Conference of the British School of Archaeology at Athens, Manchester, April 1986. Bristol : Bristol Classical Press, Bristol, p.397-416.

1993. Minoan Crafts: Tools and Techniques. An Introduction, vol.1. Jonsered : Paul Aströms (Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology 92), 2 vol.

GORGUES A. 2017. « Wherever I lay my tools. Workspace morphology and temporality in the Northern Iberian world (Sixth-First centuries BC). », in A. Gorgues, K. Rebay-Salisbury, R. Rebay-Salisbury eds., Material Chains in Late Prehistoric Europe and the Mediterranean. Time, Space and Technologies of Production. Bordeaux : Ausonius Editions, p.67-96.

GUTIERREZ C., MUNOZ MORO P.. 2020. « Traceology on metal. Experiments and interpretation of the archaeological items », in Archaeology of the Eurasian Steppes, 2020.3. Kazan : Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, p.172-186.

KARIMALI E. 2008. « Lithic and Metal Tools in the Bronze Age Aegean : a Parallel Relationship »,in I. Tzachili ed, Aegean Metallurgy in the Bronze Age. Athènes : Ta Pragma, p.315-327.

KIENLIN T.L., OTTAWAY B.S. 1998. « Flanged Axes of the North-Alpine Region: An Assessment of the Possibilities of Use-Wear Analysis on Metal Artefacts », in L'Atelier Du Bronzier En Europe Du XX Au VIII Siècle Avant Notre Ére, Vol.2. Paris, p.271-286.

LOESCHER V. 2021. Tool hoards and woodworking in Minoan Crete. Technological and functional study of copper alloy tools from Malia. Master Thesis unpublished, Paris : Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University.

LOWE FRI M. 2011. The Minoan Double Axe, An experimental study of production and use. Oxford : Archaeopress, 140p.

MARAGOUDAKI E., KAVVOURASP. 2012. « Mycenaean shipwright tool kit its reconstruction and evaluation », AAS 4.3, p.199-208.

MARAGOUDAKIE. 2019. « "Cutting edge technology": new evidence from experimental simulation and use of Late Bronze Age woodworking cutting tools. The saw as "case study" », in C. Souyoudzoglou-Haywood, A. O'Sullivan eds. Proceedings of a Workshop in Experimental Archaeology. Oxford : Archaeopress, p.27-42.

POURSAT J.-C.

1985. « Outils de charpentiers et de menuisiers du quartier Mu de Malia (Crète) », in De l'Indus aux Balkans. Recueil à la mémoire de Jean Deshayes, Paris, p.119-125.

1996. dir. Artisans minoens : les Maisons-Ateliers du Quartier Mu. Paris : De Bocard, coll. Études Crétoises 32.

PROCOPIOUH. 2013. « Chapitre 2 : Les outils lithiques », in J.-C. Poursat dir., Le Quartier Mu V. Paris : De Bocard, coll. Etudes Crétoises 34, p.43-66.

## SAMPLE STUDIED

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>**Hoard A**
Building A, corridor I 9</figcaption></figure>

metal tools : drill ; knife-razor ; saw ; axe-adze

lithic tools : 2 axes

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /></figure>

(@ Loescher 2021)

**Malia, Quartier Mu** (Hoards A I9 et B IV4) :

* 2 "administrative" buildings

* MM II (~1700 B.C.), destruction layer

* fallen from upstairs

* only tools ; typologically related to woodworking (modern parallels)

* association of lithic and metal tools

## CONTEXTS

<figure><img src="image_6.png" /></figure>

(@ Loescher 2021)

<figure><img src="image_7.png" /></figure>

## USE-WEAR ANALYSIS
ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOOLS

11 archaeological tools analyzed
[Ayios Nikolaos Museum of Archaeology]
8 from Hoards A et B + 7 little saws
(Optical Microscope Dino-Lite : x20 and x50)

<figure><img src="image_8.png" /><figcaption>**AN 13417**
Foret FOR6</figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="image_9.png" /><figcaption>**FOR6_TR3 : Talon (x20)**</figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="image_10.png" /><figcaption>**COU1_TR4 : Abération différentielle (x20)**</figcaption></figure>

(@ Loescher 2021)

## EXPERIMENTATION

### 6 versatile small saws reproduced and tested

Saw model from Quartier Mu, Hoard A et B
(Evely 1993 : type 1)

3 different materials :

* wood (olive tree)

* bone (bovid)

* soft stone (steatite)

2 variables :

* bronze alloy (tin 3% and 8 %)

* worked material

3 sessions of 30 min work, observations carried after each session

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<figure><img src="image_12.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_13.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_14.png" /></figure>

Reproduction of saws being used on the 3 different materials (Loescher 2021)

<figure><img src="image_15.png" /><figcaption>Résumé des types de traces observées sur les scies expérimentales</figcaption></figure>

<table><thead><tr><th>Type de trace</th><th>Outil et ID_Trace</th><th>Interprétation</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td rowspan="3">Résidus</td><td>SE3-1_TR1</td><td>Utilisation<br>Dépôt lié au travail du bois</td></tr><tr><td>SE8-2_TR1; SE3-2_TR4</td><td>Utilisation<br>Dépôt de moelle et de chaire</td></tr><tr><td>SE3-3_TR1; SE8-3_TR2</td><td>Utilisation<br>Dépôt de poudre de stéatite</td></tr><tr><td>Émoussé</td><td>SE3-2_TR3; SE8-3_TR1; SE8-3_TR2</td><td>Utilisation<br>usure des dents par frottement</td></tr><tr><td>Entaille et pliure latérale</td><td>SE3-2_TR2; SE8-2_TR2</td><td>Fabrication<br>Mise en forme des dents à la cisaille</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2">Stries</td><td>SE3-2_TR1</td><td>Fabrication<br>Martelage</td></tr><tr><td>SE3-3_TR2</td><td>Utilisation<br>raison exacte inconnue</td></tr></tbody></table>



## Valentin LOESCHER

PhD student - Aegean Prehistory

Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University - UMR 7041 ArScAn

Research Supervisor : Haris PROCOPIOU

Valentin.Loescher@etu.univ-paris1.fr

## JOURNÉES BOIS

Échanges interdisciplinaires sur le bois et les sociétés

Rencontres internationales, Paris, INHA

18-19 Octobre 2021

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UNIVERSITÉ PARIS 1

PANTHÉON SORBONNE

ÉCOLE DOCTORALE
ARCHEOLOGIE

UNIVERSITÉ PARIS 1

PANTHÉON SORBONNE

DIRECTION DE LA RECHERCHE

ET DE LA VALORISATION

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Sciences du Bois

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LABEX
DYNAMITE

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INHA