This piece is more famous for what we don’t know about it than what we do. It’s definitely clay. Definitely from the Minoan palace of Phaistos. Definitely covered in writing or pre precisely 24 symbols, on both sides, and definitely about 15cms across by 1cm thick. It was definitely found in 1908, and dates from around 1700BC. It’s purpose and meaning (and translation) and even where it was made are much more mysterious. It’s thought that it was made by pressing a series of seals into the clay in a clockwise sequence spiralling into the centre.

The real problem with it is that there’s just nothing else like it around to compare or translate with, so it has been suggested to be all kinds of things from a board game to a piece of adventure fiction to a more traditional prayer artefact to a call to arms.

Have a look at it in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum and let them know if you have any ideas.

Written by  World Reviewer Staff.

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