M. M. I : METAL-WORK, SEALS, FOREIGN RELATIONS 199

importance from the discovery in the same tholos ossuary at Platanos of
Minoan imitations of Egyptian scarab types of an early Twelfth Dynasty
class.

In the votive deposit of the Cave of Psychro, answering to the Diktaion
Antron of the Lyktian tradition, was found an amethyst scarab (Fig. 147)
recognized by Egyptologists as a typical Twelfth Dynasty fabric. Amethyst
Egyptian scarabs of this type generally bear the inscription on a gold plate
applied to their lower surface. In this case, however, the face of the stone
itself has been engraved by a native hand with a group of Minoan
hieroglyphs, consisting of the solar disk with curved rays 1 between two
vases with high spouts.2 From the fact that this vase-sign belongs to the
more archaic class (A),3 it seems probable that this inscription comes within
at least the lower limits of the present Period, though the engraving of seals
formed of the crystalline stones does not seem to have been usual in Crete
till the succeeding M. M. II Period. But, as we know from the Vat Room

Amethyst
scarab of
Xllth
Dynasty
type with
Cretan
hiero
glyphs.

Twelfth
Dynasty
Scarab
engraved
with
Minoan
Hiero-
glyphs of
Class A.

Fig. 147. Twelfth Dynasty Scarau (Amkthyst) engraved w ith Minoan

Hieroglyphs of Class A. (f)

Deposit, rock crystal had been already successfully attacked for the manu-
facture of vases at the very beginning of M. M. I, and beads of cornelian and
other hard materials date well back into the Early Minoan Age.

Indigenous imitations of Egyptian scarabs in soft stone or ivory
certainly begin before the close of the present Period. Several examples
were found in the smaller tholos of Platanos, where the later associated
pottery is described as M. M. I. Of these the white steatite scarab
(Fig. 148) is of special interest, since it unquestionably represents a Minoan
copy of a standing figure of the Hippopotamus Goddess Ta-urt or Thueris —
a frequent subject of early scarabs,4 and who also appears on still earlier
cylinders.5 She has one hand raised in the adorant attitude, while the other
no doubt in the orio inal scheme rested on the hilt of her characteristic knife-

Cretan

scarab of
steatite
and ivory.

Appear-
ance of
Hippo-
potamus
Goddess
Ta-urt.

1 Scripta Minoa, i, Table XII, No. 107. in the scarab impression from Kahun (Petrie,

2 lb., No. 47 Illahun, Kahun, and Gurob, PI. IX, 39).

3 Op. at., PI. I, p. 5 b. 5 e. g. Petrie, Scarabs and Cylinders ivtth

4 A good Twelfth Dynasty example is seen Names, PI. VI, No. 140.