Sealing Systems

The horse-related vocabulary of the Linear B administrative archive has been read primarily as evidence of military and agricultural activity. This paper attempts to enhance that reading with Indo-Aegean correspondence.
The administrative forms are already partially visible in the orthodox record. o-pi-i-ja-pi, glossed by Ventris and Chadwick as attachment to reins and chariot harness, corresponds to Sanskrit upa-yajya-api, deputy of harnessing and sacrifice. This correspondence, already published, establishes the methodological baseline. The present paper extends it across the horse vocabulary cluster as a whole, situating the Linear B administrative apparatus within a broader cross-cultural horse sovereignty complex whose structural elements recur independently across multiple traditions.
The notable absence of the Aśvamedha from Kauṭilya's Arthaśāstra is consistent with a pre-codification source older than either tradition, whose administrative residue the Linear B corpus may preserve.
Keywords: Linear B; Aśvamedha; horse sovereignty; Indo-Aegean correspondence; Aegean scripts; Bronze Age administration; Arthaśāstra; comparative ritual; o-pi-i-ja-pi

One of the most important material sources for the study of the administration and organisation of Hittite kingship are the seals of the great kings and queens. The seals are attested primarliy as seal impressions on clay written documents and are particularly numerous on bullae and other clay sealing types. In the following contribution to the Festschrift in honor of Jörg Klinger, I will focus specifically on the artefact group of clay sealings which provides us with information on sealing practices and connected administrative procedures.

This essay critiques the epistemological foundations of Dan Mason's "Response to the MICE Critique" (2026), specifically targeting its reliance on Karl Popper's falsification thesis. While Mason utilizes the Design Biology Forensic Evaluation Protocol (DB-FEP) to characterize the Management Institute for Contributory Economy (MICE) as a "self-sealing framework" immune to correction, his methodology is grounded in Logical Negativism. The sources suggest that Popperian grounding is "broken-backed" and constitutes a "thinly-disguised form of skepticism" because it treats the acceptance of scientific evidence as a mere "convention" or community "decision" rather than a discovery of truth. Consequently, Mason's "forensic" approach results in denoetization-the mechanical liquidation of the human capacity to judge-reducing dynamic human insights to static data nodes within a calculative network.

The fundamental task when preparing the layout of a cylinder seal image
is the selection of pictorial elements arranged in varying compositions. The so-called presentation scene dominates the depictions on Old Babylonian glyptic. Scholars studying Ancient Western Asiatic seals have analysed the presentation scenes and the associated picture elements mostly in terms of artistic style and meaning. The ACAWAI-CS database, which includes thousands of Old Babylonian seals, enables us to look at the presentation scenes and the compositions of particular picture elements in a more structured way. Using computational approaches, we will show that the motifs depicted in various presentation scenes can have three functions: patron, client, or mediator. Using statistical and graphical tools, we will examine the placement of the figures in an image, their orientations in relation to each other, and the interaction between them. The paper aims to show that the different arrangements of picture elements in the Old Babylonian presentation can be explained by the lack of graphical perspective, which is needed for the depiction of a three-dimensional scene on a flat surface.
If an addition or omission of particular elements and a focus on certain
figures in the scene could indicate a shift in meaning will be addressed in
the paper as well.

The European Union's regulatory mandate requirements for vehicular components include the integrity of sealing performance, mitigating leaks from fuel tanks and transmission systems in order to guard against environmental pollution. Non-compliance can result in significant costs for the OEM and their supplier base. The majority of the reported research regarding leakage from radial lip seals focuses on static analysis of leakage under a given set of laboratory conditions. However, in practice, seal conjunctions are often subjected to significant excitations due to vehicular vibration. In the current study, the case of a front-wheel drive vehicle, equipped with three-axle accelerometers and subjected to a comprehensive road test, is used as the basis for the development of a realistic representative test rig. The test rig is developed using bespoke components from the vehicle under investigation to assess the impact of the encountered natural frequencies on sealing performance in controlled laboratory conditions, when the system is subjected to controlled excitation. Experiments are conducted to evaluate leakage at the transmission interface, focusing specifically on the sealing system's performance. The influence of driveshaft manufacturing processes using corundum grinding and subsequent surface topography upon leakage performance are also considered. Identified modal response frequencies are imposed upon the test rig using a shaker, whilst the seal leakage is measured. The importance of shaft roughness characteristics, such as topographical skewness upon seal leakage rate under various resonant conditions, are ascertained. The results indicate potentially significant leakage rates under excitation conditions, with a non-optimised shaft roughness profile.

This paper explores the application of three-dimensional digital and computational methods on Minoan and Mycenaean seals and sealings. A selected assemblage of 98 modern impressions from the Corpus of Minoan and Mycenaean Seals, along with 27 original seals and sealings from Greek archaeological museums, have been scanned using a structured-light scanner. The diverse materials within the selected assemblage, including clay sealings, steatite, agate, jasper and carnelian seals, modern silicon and plasticine impressions and casts, significantly influenced the scanning and post-processing procedures, and consequently impacted the quality of the digital models. This study highlights the observed differences arising from the application of digital methods across various materials. It also delves into the prospects and limitations of applying digital documentation methods to micrographic objects. Furthermore, the potential of this methodology for cultural heritage management is discussed, with the aim of enhancing accessibility to museum collections and archives.

The phonetic decipherment paradigm assumes that Aegean scripts primarily encoded spoken language through sound-to-sign correspondence. This assumption has shaped interpretation since Ventris, yet substantial evidence suggests these scripts operated under additional organizing principles. Compression behaviors-orthographic copy vowels reaching bidirectionally across boundaries, monograms collapsing multiple phonemes into single signs, systematic sign-order variation within constraints-indicate that scribes balanced multiple encoding priorities. The scripts may have encoded procedural information, ritual sequences, or administrative operations alongside phonetic transcription, with different priorities dominating in different contexts. This paper examines portable media contexts where these compression behaviors intensify: potmarks, clay balls, sealings, votive objects. Donnelly's work on Cypro-Minoan demonstrates that sign-order can vary systematically within constraints, while Petrakis documents bidirectional vowel management in Linear B suggesting orientation-dependent encoding. When the same short strings recur across multiple portable objects in ritual or administrative contexts, they may represent compressed operational tags-instructions, procedures, or formulas-rather than phonetic spellings. The implications are methodological and theoretical. If Aegean scripts encoded operations alongside (or instead of) phonetic language, then traditional decipherment approaches predicated on sound-law reconstruction may have systematically misidentified the scripts' primary function. Compression becomes evidence not of scribal laziness but of a fundamentally different encoding architecture-one optimized for repetition, portability, and functional execution rather than phonetic completeness. This paper establishes foundations for analyzing Aegean scripts as multipurpose encoding systems where material constraints, operational requirements, and circulation contexts shaped what information could be recorded and how. The framework generates testable predictions about when compression intensifies (portable media, ritual contexts, high-repetition environments) and what patterns distinguish operational encoding from phonetic transcription. By attending to distribution, repetition, media association, and compression intensity, we can identify systematic behaviors that phonetic paradigms cannot adequately explain.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the status of the ko-to-no-o-ko in the Pylos Eb/Ep series. They are typically considered representatives of the da mo, or rural community, of pa-ki-ja-ne. In this capacity, they are thought to oppose the claim of the priestess Eritha that she holds an o-na-to on behalf of the deity (PY Eb 297 / Ep 704.5-6). However, our analysis suggests that ko-to-no-o-ko, mean ing 'landholders', is used in PY Ep 301 and the corresponding Eb tablets as a general term to denote non-religious personnel. Rather than representing the da-mo, they appear to be distinguished from other Eb/Ep landholders precisely by this non religious status.

Cylinder seals represent a highly specialized craft. As objects, they demand a high level of craftsmanship; as administrative
tools and “technologies of power,” they are linked to socio-economic and political entities. Therefore, we need to examine the ways
in which workshops were organized and the degree of craftsmen’s independence. This study will focus on two radically different
productions: the “proto-Elamite classic style” and the “mechanical production” often referred to as “geometric seals” or “Jemdet
Nasr seals.” Both are documented from the late 4th to the early 3rd millennium BCE in Iran. This article aims to understand and define
the different production mechanisms established by societies during a period of unprecedented proto-urban development on the
Iranian plateau, known as the “proto-Elamite phenomenon.”

In recent times the interest in figurine studies has flourished. The University of Pisa conference Clay Figurines in Context which took place on October 17-19, 2022 highlighted the many and varied ways in which one aspect of this area of research can be explored – the neglected category of figurines that are peculiarly hand-modelled in the humblest of materials, Nile mud or clay. Figurines depicting humans in clay fall into two main groups: those modelled with a recognisable human form and those that are flat plaques, more or less rectangular or squared in shape. The latter form of object stands outside the accepted figurine typology. Known as plaque figurines, they are non-standard, highly stylised and wholly abstract – unusual, strange, peculiar. To date there is no co-ordinated study of plaque figurines. The small corpus of hand-formed clay plaque figurines from the state-planned town site of Wah-sut at South Abydos has yielded a range of figurines. Found in association with the residential quarters close to and including the settlement’s commanding mayoral residence, the plaques stand out as a homogeneous group. Presented here is a detailed catalogue together with a discussion of comparative material from other sites and a preliminary discussion of the potential significance of some of the decorative features on the best preserved of the plaque figurines.

Palatial economic archives from various regionsfrom the Aegean world to Mesopotamiaand from various periods of the Bronze Age, attest to the use by palatial administrations of procedures in which workers were obliged to perform a task, whether craft or agricultural, on behalf of the palace. This article examines the possibility that such a procedure existed also in Ugarit, since a group of administrative texts relating to metals appear comparable to these systems of work-assignments. The material from Ugarit and the conclusions reached allow, then, a comparison with the system of work-assignment attested in the Mycenaean texts and called ta-ra-si-ja. Mycenaean and Ugaritic documentations present typological, structural and chronological analogies, which add to the interest of the comparison.

Urban Landscape Project 2005. Preliminary Results » A. BERNABÉ, Some Thoughts on the Knossos Ra Series » P. CARLIER, Réflexions sur les relations internationales dans le monde Mycénien : y -a-t-il eu des hégémonies? » M. CIVITILLO, Il sillabogramma *19: status quaestionis e proposte di lettura » C. CONSANI, Aspects and Problems in Mycenaean and Cypriot Syllabification » P. DE FIDIO, Miceneo ki-ti-ta e me-ta-ki-ti-ta » S. DEGER-JALKOTZY, A-mu-ta-wo, Ku-ru-me-no und Pu 2 -ke-qi-ri: drei "mykenische Karrieren" » M. DEL FREO, Rapport 2001-2005 sur les textes en écriture hiéroglyphique crétoise, en linéaire A et en linéaire B » R. DUEV, Zeus and Dionysus in the Light of Linear B Records » Y. DUHOUX, Animaux ou humains ? Réflexions sur les tablettes Aravantinos de Thèbes » M. EGETMEYER, Epilukos / opilukos: un titolo greco di origine indoeuropea » G. FACCHETTI, La questione della scrittura "geroglifica cretese" dopo la recente edizione del corpus dei testi » R. J. FIRTH, J. L. MELENA, The Knossos Linear B Tablets: Genesis of the Listing of the Later Fragments » A. FRANCESCHETTI, Musici e strumenti musicali alle corti micenee » X

ont été trouvées en 1970 par Th. G. Spyropoulos dans le terrain Soteriou-Dougekou, à l'angle des rues Epameinondas et Démocritos (anciennement rue Métaxas) 1 , et plus précisément dans l'angle Nord-Est de la pièce Sud d'un grand édifice palatial détruit par un incendie à la fin de l'HR IIIB 2 . Les documents ont été mis au jour dans une couche de briques brûlées, avec des fragments de plomb fondu et de bois carbonisé. Les travaux de restauration ont permis de reconstituer tout ou partie de 16 tablettes, qui contenaient chacune deux ou trois rubriques caractérisées par le logogramme LANA 3 , éventuellement précédé du déterminatif ku 4 et suivi du sous-multiple PA 5 . L'analyse paléographique a permis de montrer que la majeure partie des textes a été rédigée par le même scribe 6 . L'identité du sujet traité, du scribe et du lieu de trouvaille fait de ces tablettes un groupe cohérent du point de vue administratif. Le fait que les quantités de laine soient dans bien des cas précédées d'anthroponymes ou d'appellatifs au datif, ou encore de toponymes à l'allatif, montre que l'on a affaire à des quantités de laine qui sortaient des magasins palatiaux. * À l'origine de cette étude se trouve une communication faite au V e Congrès International d'Études Béotiennes (Thèbes, 10-13 Septembre 2005). Nous remercions très chaleureusement Vassilis Aravantinos, qui nous a donné l'autorisation de la publier dans cette revue. Nous remercions également Marie-Louise Nosch de nous avoir autorisés à utiliser le texte de sa communication au IVe Congrès International d'Études Béotiennes (Levadeia, 9-12 Septembre 2000). À ce propos nous signalons que le texte communiqué par l'auteur en 2005 et utilisé pour élaborer notre contribution est différent de celui qui a été publié dans les actes du colloque (Nosch 2008) ; en particulier, les arguments auxquels nous nous référons dans la discussion ont été repris par l'auteur dans un article paru depuis dans Kadmos (Nosch 2009). Nous remercions enfin Maria Emanuela Alberti et Carole Cheval pour avoir accepté de relire une version préliminaire de notre article. Naturellement toute erreur qui pourrait subsister relève de notre seule responsabilité.

ΜΕΤΑΦΡΑΣΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΤΟΥ ΑΡΘΡΟΥ ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΜΕΝΟΥ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΗ
Στην εποχή που προηγήθηκε των μηχανών, τα ζώα προσέφεραν την απαιτούμενη ενέργεια και ελκτική δύναμη στις αγροτικές εργασίες (π.χ. άροση) και στις μεταφορές τόσο σε ειρηνικές περιόδους όσο και σε πολεμικές επιχειρήσεις.  Στην παρούσα εισήγηση εξετάζονται οι καταγραφές των πινακίδων Γραμμικής Β γραφής της Μυκηναϊκής εποχής (1450-1200π.Χ.), από τις οποίες συνάγεται η χρησιμοποίηση του ζωικού κεφαλαίου και η αξιοποίησή του στις πιοπάνω δραστηριότητες. Καταγράφονται βόδια “we-ka-ta  = ϝεργᾱται = εργάτες” (που, προφανώς, χρησιμοποιούνταν σε αγροτικές εργασίες), ιππήλατα άρματα και οι ιπποσκευές των αλόγων που τα έσερναν, κ.ά.. Η μεγάλη σημασία  που απεδίδετο, εκείνην την εποχή στην συνεισφορά του ζωικού κεφαλαίου στην οικονομία, τονίζεται και από το ότι: (α) το άρμα στη Γραμμική Β αποκαλείται “i-qi-ja = ἱππία = (χ/σ) ἱππία”, από το Ελληνικό (χ/σ)ἳππος, δηλαδή  ‘συρόμενο από ίππο’ (όχημα) και, (β) καταγράφονται, πιθανότατα, τοπικές θεότητες: “θεότητα-ίππος”, “θεότητα-βόδι” και άλλες θεότητες-ζώα.  Επί πλέον, στην εισήγηση παρουσιάζονται ορισμένες επί μέρους παράμετροι της καθημερινής ζωής σχετιζόμενες με τα  ζώα, όπως έχουν καταγραφεί στις πινακίδες.  Η ενδεχόμενη σύγκριση αποδοτικότητας μεταξύ βοδιών και ίππων μπορεί επίσης να βασισθεί σε μεταγενέστερες σχετικές μετρήσεις (π.χ. του James Watt το 1782-1786 μ.Χ. και σύγχρονων Πανεπιστημίων και του Οργανισμού Αγροτικών Τροφίμων (Food Agriculture Organization [FAO]) των Ηνωμένων Εθνών.

Abstract. The extensive clay sealing corpus discovered by A.H. Layard in Room LXI of Sennacherib’s Southwest Palace at Nineveh
is best known for the many examples of the Assyrian royal seal type impressed on tags and container sealings. Although the
royal seal type predominates, other official seals of the palace administration are also well represented. Our paper focuses
on the second most frequent seal type which bears as sole motif a scorpion surrounded by either a guilloche, a garland, or
simply the imprint of the seal mount. This seal type has been interpreted as the administrative seal of the Assyrian queen and
her household. In the following we will discuss the archaeological evidence from Nineveh that reinforces this interpretation.
Through the analysis of the backs of the clay sealings, we can better understand the function of the scorpion seal within the
palace administration.

Daetwyler Rubber increasingly relies on numeric simulation techniques in product and process development. Using finite element analysis, the functionality of new elastomer components can be studied at an early phase. This speeds development, lowers costs, and increases product quality.

Dätwyler Rubber setzt in der Produkt- und Prozessentwicklung zunehmend auf numerische Simulationsverfahren. Im Entwicklungsprozess neuer Elastomerbauteile kann deren Funktionalität mit Hilfe der Finite-Elemente-Analyse bereits sehr früh untersucht werden. Dadurch werden die Entwicklung beschleunigt, die Entwicklungskosten gesenkt und die Produktqualität erhöht.

Die Anforderungen an elastomere Dichtungen im Automobilbereich hinsichtlich Temperatur- und Medienbeständigkeit sind je nach Einsatzbereich sehr unterschiedlich. Insbesondere die Beständigkeit gegen ein bestimmtes Medium in Kombination mit ausgezeichneten Tieftemperatureigenschaften und Hochtemperaturstabilitäten ist eine große Herausforderung an Kautschukhersteller und Elastomerverarbeiter. Zudem werden die Anforderungen an Maßtoleranzen und Oberflächengüten der Bauteile immer anspruchsvoller. Viele Neuanwendungen basieren auf individuellen Dichtungslösungen, und den spezifischen Anforderungsprofilen der Bauteile können nur hochwertige und
auf die jeweilige Applikation hin maßgeschneiderte Werkstoffe gerecht werden.

Daniel Triolo, Lead Key Account Manager, Andreas Minatti, Head of Business Development, Dr. Rudolf Randler, Head of Simulation sowie Dr. Jakub Kadlcak, Head of Materials Development and Surface Technologies Mobility bei Dätwyler, werfen einen Blick in die Zukunft von Bremssystemen und wie Komponenten für Dichtungslösungen eine entscheidende Rolle für Sicherheit, Funktion und Leistung spielen.

Andreas Minatti, Head of Business Development, Dr. Rudolf Randler, Head of Simulation and Dr. Norbert Haberland, Head of Business Development and Cooperation AT at Datwyler, take a closer look at how safe, sustainable and more intelligent mobility is being enabled by the evolution of components in the cars of the future.

Die Automobilindustrie ist für viele Entwicklungen im Dichtungs- und Polymerbereich zentraler Treiber. Das wirkt sich schon beim Prototyping aus. Warum das so ist, darüber unterhielt sich DICHT! mit Rudolf Randler, Head of Simulation, Andreas Minatti, Head of Business Development, und Konrad Dubler, Teamleader Engineering Mobility der Dätwyler Schweiz AG.

Das Auto der Zukunft wird sich deutlich vom herkömmlichen unterscheiden, es wird elektrisch, vollvernetzt, multifunktional und autonom sein. Diese zukunftsweisenden Trends könnten viele der gewohnten Komponenten eines Autos verändern oder sogar komplett überflüssig machen. Der Beitrag erläutert, wie die Komponentenentwicklung für die Autos der Zukunft sichere, nachhaltige und intelligente autonome Mobilität ermöglichen kann.

Dichtungssysteme spielen eine maßgebliche Rolle für die Funktion von Komponenten und Baugruppen. Oft sind sie sogar von systemkritischer Bedeutung, da ein Versagen der Dichtungen regelmäßig zu Systemausfällen führt. Deshalb ist es entscheidend, die geplanten
Dichtstellen bereits in einer frühen Phase des Produktentwicklungsprozesses zu betrachten. Nur so können alle konstruktiven Anforderungen und physikalischen Randbedingungen optimal berücksichtigt werden, um maximale Leistung und Funktionssicherheit zu gewährleisten. Dieser Artikel gibt einen
Einblick in die typische Vorgehensweise bei der simulationsgestützten Dichtungsauslegung, die auf der bestmöglichen Kombination von Design (Bauraum) und Werkstoffen unter Berücksichtigung der auftretenden Belastungen und Randbedingungen basiert.

Nicht nur die Finite-Elemente-Methode (FEM) hat in der Produktentwicklung ein wachsende Bedeutung. Fortschrittliche Simulationstechniken ermöglichen Herstellern von Komponenten für die Fahrzeugindustrie den beschleunigten Transfer virtueller Konzepte in innovative Produkte.

This paper contributes to the understanding of Early Bronze Age sealing practices in the Cyclades, focusing on recent findings from the settlement site of Koimisis on Therasia. It discusses two seal impressions stamped on a jar handle from an Early Cycladic II context. One aligns with the broader Aegean glyptic tradition, while the second could represent the earliest evidence associated with developments tied to the broader context of script formation in the Aegean. The study analyses the context of the find, the iconography and the style of the seal impressions, and explores the associations and meaning of the signs. Additionally, the petrographic analysis of the pottery fragment provides insights into the vase's origin and the broader interpretative context of the impressions.

Among the animals documented in archaeological and epigraphic sources from ancient Mesopotamia, the bear has received little or no attention. This contribution aims to fill this gap by providing an overview of all the available sources –textual, archaeozoological and iconographical– and discussing the relationships between bears and the human community.
Keywords: bear, Mesopotamia, lexical lists, literature, personal names, archaeozoology, iconography

Index
Introduction
The terms for bear in Sumerian and Akkadian
The bear in lexical lists
The earliest evidence of bears in written evidence
The bear in literature and other non-documentary sources
The bear in iconography
The brown bear and its faunal remains in the Near East
Bears and human communities: predators, game, entertainment, delicacies
The ambiguity of the bear? From lexicography to sex
Conclusions

Originally presented at the 2015 conference "Textual Archaeology of the Ancient Near East: Are We Doing It Wrong?" at Cambridge and last revised in 2019, this paper addresses the text:artefact divide in Ancient Near Eastern studies. While archaeologists focus on material and visual culture, and Assyriologists prioritise textual content, this division often limits holistic interpretations. Reviewing methods such as text in context, diplomatics, and metatext analysis, this study advocates for an entangled approach that integrates textual and material culture. Using a case study from the Ur III administrative center at Puzrish-Dagan, it demonstrates how examining the materiality of texts—context, physical characteristics, and production—can reconstruct administrative networks and socio-political structures. By treating inscribed objects as lived social artefacts, this study offers a pathway to bridging disciplinary gaps.

At the end of 4 th millennium BCE, small clay tablets include economic records used for some centuries and played a significant role in administrative control. Sometimes these tablets also bear impressions of seals which comprise the most extensive dataset of imagery from this period. The importance of sealing is clear from its function and pictorial information, but on the economic tablets it has new significance allowing us to identify possible specific specializations and the responsible institutions for the economic document. In this study I focus on four unpublished sealings on four different Proto-Elamite clay tablets which are kept in the National Museum of Iran. At first, a description will be presented for each sample, which in turn will be used to group them according to both the content of the image and the text. Finally, I will use this sorting to propose a possible relation between each specialized administration unit and some scenes which they used for their seals.

In der vorliegenden Bachelorarbeit wird die Zerstörung der mykenischen Palastzentren um 1200 v. Chr. am Beispiel der beiden Paläste von Mykene und Pylos thematisiert werden, 1 2 da diese beiden mykenischen Palaststaaten bei der langjährigen Erforschung der mykenischen Kultur eine bedeutende Rolle gespielt haben. Zudem befinden sich diese beiden archäologischen Ausgrabungsstätten mit ihrer Lage in der Argolis und in Messenien zum einen in verschiedenen griechischen Regionen und weisen zum anderen auch eine recht unterschiedliche landschaftliche Umgebung auf, da sich der Palast von Mykene relativ weit im hügeligen griechischen Inland befindet, wohingegen der Palast von Pylos in geringer Entfernung zur Küste liegt. In diesem Zusammenhang soll am Ende dieser Bachelorarbeit die Frage beantwortet werden, ob die archäologischen Zerstörungshorizonte und die Linear B-Texte der Paläste von Mykene und Pylos überhaupt Hinweise auf die Gründe für den Untergang dieser beiden Palaststaaten und den Zusammenbruch der mykenischen Palastkultur um 1200 v. Chr. geben. Zu Beginn dieser Bachelorarbeit soll im 2. Kapitel zunächst ein Überblick über die Forschungsgeschichte der mykenischen Kultur gegeben werden, wobei der Fokus auf den in dieser Arbeit zu untersuchenden Palästen von Mykene und Pylos liegen wird. Im Anschluss daran werden die mykenischen Palastzentren genauer thematisiert werden, wobei auf die Definition, das Verbreitungsgebiet und die charakteristischen Merkmale der mykenischen Paläste eingegangen werden soll, um ein genaueres Bild von der mykenischen Palastkultur zu bekommen. Als nächstes wird dann ein kurzer Überblick über die soziale Hierarchie und die verschiedenen Ämter in den mykenischen Palaststaaten gegeben werden, worauf eine Erläuterung zur Funktionsweise des mykenischen Palastwirtschaftssystem folgen wird. Im darauf folgenden 4. Kapitel wird die Entwicklungsgeschichte der mykenischen Paläste näher erläutert werden, in dem zunächst deren Herausbildung, Entwicklung und Blütezeit näher skizziert werden soll, bevor dann der Untergang der mykenischen Palastzentren um 1200 v. Chr. behandelt werden wird. Den Kern dieser Bachelorarbeit wird das letzte Kapitel bilden, in dem eine Untersuchung der Paläste von Mykene und Pylos im Hinblick auf die oben genannte Leitfrage vorgenommen wird. Dabei werden beide Paläste nacheinander nach den gleichen Kriterien abgehandelt werden, wobei zunächst auf die Geographische Lage und Zur Lage von Mykene siehe Abb. 1.

Η αποκρυπτογράφηση της Γραμμικής Β΄, η οποία αποτελεί το πρωιμότερο συλλαβικό σύστημα γραφής, που συνδέεται άρρηκτα με την ελληνική γλώσσα και αναπτύχθηκε στον αιγαιακό χώρο στα μέσα περίπου της 2ης χιλιετίας π.Χ., φώτισε εκφάνσεις του
κοινωνικοπολιτικού και οικονομικού γίγνεσθαι των ανακτορικών κέντρων, το υλικό αποτύπωμα των οποίων δεν είναι πάντοτε ορατό. Από το αρχείο της Πύλου, μεταξύ των πληροφοριών που σχετίζονται με τη λειτουργία του συστήματος διοίκησης, εντοπίζονται και
ενδείξεις, άμεσες ή έμμεσες, που αφορούν τη ναυτική και ναυπηγική δραστηριότητα. Καταγράφονται πληροφορίες σχετικά με την επάνδρωση του στόλου (PY Αn 1, An 610, An 724), την οργανωμένη φύλαξη των ακτογραμμών (σειρά πινακίδων o-ka: PY An 657, An 654,
An 519, An 656, An 661), ενώ παράλληλα αναφέρεται και το επάγγελμα των na-u-do-mo (Vn 865, Na 568). Εύλογα, λοιπόν, μπορεί να θεωρηθεί ότι η ναυτική και ναυπηγική δραστηριότητα εντάσσονταν στα κύρια ζητήματα, που αφορούσαν τη λειτουργία και την οργάνωση του ανακτορικού συστήματος. Επίσης, δεδομένου ότι ένα μεγάλο ποσοστό των πινακίδων αποτελεί μία μορφή καταλόγου απογραφής υλικών και πρώτων υλών σε ποικίλες ποσότητες, που απαιτούνται για συγκεκριμένες κατασκευαστικές χρήσεις και εντάσσονται σε
κάποια μορφή βιοτεχνικής δραστηριότητας, εγείρεται το ερώτημα αν κάποιες από αυτές τις καταγραφές σχετίζονται με τη ναυπήγηση πλοίων. Υπό αυτό το πρίσμα, θα μελετηθεί διεξοδικά το περιεχόμενο των πινακίδων PY Vn 46 και Vn 879, οι οποίες ανήκουν στην
ευρύτερη ομάδα Vn, που αφορά την καταγραφή υλικών δόμησης και κυρίως της ξυλείας, καθώς και εξειδικευμένων τεχνιτών, που σχετίζονται με την κατεργασία του ξύλου. Οι δύο πινακίδες- αν και εξαιρετικά δυσερμήνευτες- εξακολουθούν να διχάζουν την επιστημονική κοινότητα αναφορικά με το ερώτημα αν καταγράφονται υλικά αρχιτεκτονικής ή ναυπηγικής φύσεως. Κατά συνέπεια, θα διερευνηθεί με άξονα τη γραφειοκρατική λογική που ακολουθείται
και στο υπόλοιπο corpus των πινακίδων, το ενδεχόμενο να καταγράφεται η σειρά τοποθέτησης και συναρμολόγησης, η δομική σημασία των πρώτων υλών για την κατασκευή, ή την επισκευή ενός πλοίου. Δεδομένα από τα αρχαιολογικά κατάλοιπα πλοίων της
περιόδου, όπως των ναυαγίων του Uluburun και της Χελιδονίας Άκρας, θα χρησιμοποιηθούν ως δείκτες επιβεβαίωσης των πινακίδων, με σκοπό την πληρέστερη κατανόηση της ναυπηγικής τέχνης και της ναυτικής δραστηριότητας κατά την Ύστερη Εποχή του Χαλκού.
Λέξεις κλειδιά: Γραμμική Β΄, ναυπηγική, Πύλος, ΥΕΧ.

The Minoan eruption of the Thera volcano has come to offer a pivotal event in the synchronisation of Aegean and East Mediterranean civilizations. In relative (ceramic) terms the eruption occurred late in or around the end of the Late Minoan (LM) IA period. The date was traditionally placed around 1500 BCE, not from any specific evidence, but because some subsequent (late) LMIB objects were found in Egypt in contexts associated with Tuthmosis III, and, since his reign of almost 54 years was placed, give or take debates of up to 25 years, around the first half of the 15th century BCE, this led to a minimum date for the end of LMIA and Thera conveniently summarized as ca. 1500 BCE (Marinatos 1939; Warren 1984). This placed much of the LMIA period during the earlier New Kingdom. Radiocarbon dates from the 1970s onwards upset this position by suggesting an earlier date for Thera. This raised the prospect of an alternative cultural synchronisation for LMIA (and indeed MMIII-LMIA overall) with the Hyksos era (Second Intermediate Period, SIP): the Aegean high chronology (AHC). The AHC in turn would affect surrounding cultural groups and their dates
in the Aegean and East Mediterranean, from Greece to Cyprus (Manning 1999). Much effort has gone into refining the radiocarbon situation. Since 2020 the options are an ‘earlier’ date maybe 1611 BCE (when a major Northern Hemisphere volcanic eruption is attested in ice-core evidence) or broadly around 1600 BCE (if, for example, the Thera eruption is not represented in the available ice-core evidence investigated so far), and a later date perhaps about 1561 BCE (when another major Northern Hemisphere volcanic eruption is attested in ice-core evidence) (Manning 2022; 2024a; 2024b; Pearson et al. 2022; 2023). Either of these dates basically places LMIA contemporary with the Hyksos/SIP (i.e. the point of the AHC critique starting in the 1980s: Kemp and Merrillees 1980; Betancourt 1987; Manning 1988). Overall, the general scope of debate or ‘dispute’ is much narrowed to around 50 years, versus the gap of over a century in scholarship a couple of decades ago. A re-analysis now of radiocarbon dates recently published on an olive shrub from Therasia likely killed by the Thera eruption (Pearson et al. 2023), bringing to bear an appropriate integration of the temporal constraints on these dates from both the growth sequences of the olive branches in question and the contextual circumstance of their common death event (the eruption) (Manning 2024b), along with analysis of the data and temporal sequence in the period between final human occupation and abandonment at Akrotiri on Thera through to the Thera volcanic eruption (Manning 2022; 2024a), suggest to the author that we can in fact more likely resolve the date of the Thera eruption around the earlier date of 1611 BCE (or more broadly around 1600 BCE).

In a paper published in JGA 8, Tiziano Fantuzzi, to the contrary, tries largely to argue against the AHC and in favour of a more traditional position – although in an almost inevitable contradiction Fantuzzi ends up favouring a date around 1561 BCE and thus effectively a position that is, in fact, compatible with the original AHC critique and so against the traditional chronology. The present
paper critically addresses the evidence and the Fantuzzi paper and lays out why the archaeological linkages do not contradict the AHC (and in fact likely support it) and shows how the radiocarbon evidence, appropriately analysed and integrated with the relevant known (prior) botanical-geological- archaeological sequence, defines a date for the Minoan eruption of Thera most likely ca.1611 BCE or broadly around 1600 BCE (with a date around 1561 BCE an unlikely but about the latest even possible alternative). Indeed, if the eruption was ca. 1561 BCE (or for that matter a later date as suggested by some, like 1525 BCE), we can observe that different radiocarbon measurements would be expected for the Therasia olive shrub samples – thus these suggested later Thera eruption
dates are not supported by the currently available evidence. Hence, the New Palace Period of Crete likely begins (Middle Minoan, MM, IIIA) in the later 18th century BCE, MMIIIB and LMIA occupy the period through the end of the 17th century BCE (likely, and possibly into the earlier 16th century BCE), and (the long) LMIB period follows, ending in the earlier to mid-15th century BCE (and these dates in turn translate for linked contemporaries in mainland Greece, the Cyclades, Cyprus, etc.). The formation and floruit of New Palace Crete are thus associated with both the dynamic and transformative Hyksos/SIP era in the East Mediterranean (e.g. Mourad 2021) and the formative era leading to the creation of the Old Hittite Kingdom in Anatolia (e.g. Bryce 2005: 61-95; Weeden 2022: 537-550).

NOTE: this PDF (now the online available version from the journal) is a revised version correcting the misspelling of Fantuzzi in original.

In the course of studying a collection of seals at the Antikensammlung of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, a chance discovery was made on the back of lapis lacedaemonius seal FG 13: a meticulously patched gap on its surface. This article discusses repair techniques applied to Aegean seals in general, and, more specifically, explores a distinctive repair method identified in a limited number of lapis lacedaemonius seals. Crafted from this rare semi-precious stone, these seals underwent a unique repair process involving the application of a binding agent to seal gaps and, at times, the insertion of a different semi-precious stone. The conspicuous repair on FG 13 suggests a deliberate effort to emphasise the ‘imperfection’ rather than simply concealing it. The article suggests that this specialised repair, involving both a rare material and unique technology, may have been orchestrated by a select group of authorised specialists. The observations and findings of this study are preliminary in nature, calling for further exploration of the repair technology and materials utilised as well as questions of skill, artisanship, and further social considerations relevant to the repair of these seals.

Thermo-hydrodynamic behaviour of bidirectional dry gas seals with trapezoidal shaped symmetric grooves is studied. A multi-physics model, coupling compressible laminar flow and heat transfer in both the fluid and the solid bodies is used in a multi-physics modelling environment. The multi-physics model also includes slip flow conditions, corresponding to relatively high Knudsen numbers, as well as the effect of asperity interactions on the opposing seal faces. A comparison of the seal performance under isothermal and thermal flow conditions shows the importance of including the thermal effects. The difference in the predicted opening force between isothermal and thermal model can exceed 2.5%, which is equivalent to a force of around 1kN. The importance of designing gas seals to operate at the minimum possible gap to reduce power losses as well as leakage from the contact is highlighted. However, it is shown that there exists a critical minimum gap, below which the power loss in the contact can abruptly increase due to asperity interactions, generating significantly increased operating temperatures.

The careful examination of the clay findings collected during the extensive excavation of the Terramara of S. Rosa di Poviglio (Reggio Emilia, IT) led to the identification of several small objects that can be associated with sealing practices. By presenting and briefly discussing the sealing elements from S. Rosa di Poviglio, this paper intends to prompt greater attention toward the nonceramic clay findings, usually mostly neglected during post-excavation works, highlighting their potential in the reconstruction of sealing practices and in the identification of the perishable materials of which they can preserve the imprint.

Since 2009, the National Center for Nuclear Research in Poland has been constructing its own High Performance Computing (HPC) Centre under the name S´wierk Computing Centre (CIS´ ). Now, it is ready reaching its target—1 PFLOPS—in December 2015. However at the early operation stage, one of its major problems was the unstable work of the HPC cluster cooling system, resulting in increased maintenance costs. The main aim of this work is to thoroughly investigate the origin of the problem and to find the best solution for it based on results from a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. The constructors suspected that the oscillations in the flow domain are caused by thermal flow stratification, but something else was proved. In this paper, a wide range of cases will be analyzed, covering different work regimes of the installation as well as various geometry modifications. Finally, certain improvement to the current design will be suggested by the CFD Analysis Group.

This article discusses evidence for interregional contact by sea in the Early Bronze Age Aegean. It outlines the relevant environmental background and changes since that period, and discusses the relationship between important settlements and preferred routes of movements between coasts and islands. After discussing some aspects of pilotage and navigational techniques used in the third millennium, it considers the role of different areas in reconstructed patterns of contact.

Macro View: Uses, Social Practices and Ideological Implications of Hieroglyphic Texts.  a n n a m a r g h e r i ta j a s i n k  a n d  j u d i t h w e i n g a rt e n 4.1 The Hieroglyphic Seals: Continuity and Innovation Seals, by definition, are objects created to close or authenticate (that is, to seal) something, even if they are not always used as such. On Crete during the Prepalatial period, however, evidence for sealing is extremely scanty, especially compared with the large number of seals made during this long period. 1 It is therefore possible, even likely, that seals were meant above all as a mark of distinction, worn by the leaders of this time (whether merchants, landowners, or headmen or-women), rather than a sphragistic tool beyond the household, still less for administrative purposes. We know next to nothing of Minoan Prepalatial organisation, even if class differentiation is clearly visible in the typology of houses, tomb architecture and burials, and in the objects found within. Seals certainly represent a luxury good and, to some extent at least, a luxury trade, the very concept borrowed from Egypt and the Near East. Worn on a necklace or a pin, Prepalatial seals identified prominent individuals and not bureaucratic/administrative concerns. This changed in the First Palace period (MM IB-MM IIB), beginning with the introduction of a new tool, the horizontal bow-lathe in MM II, which allowed engravers to carve hard stones for the first time. Glyptic shifted from the gouging of soft materials (steatite/serpentine, bone and ivory) towards fine, sharp cutting of colourful gemstones (notably jasper and quartzes). New seal shapes appeared-especially the handled signet [Petschaft] and three-and four-sided prisms (Figure 4.1)-which were put to use by palace bureaucracies at Knossos and Malia. The Petschaft is really the best designed of the three for making seal impressions, especially on clay, because it is easy to hold by its handle, to stamp with and lift out cleanly. 2 Petschafte were almost always made of hard stone (88%), as were also most 4-sided prisms (69%) but decidedly fewer 3-sided prisms (47%), a material difference which suggests a lower ranking. 3 Alongside purely decorative motifs (e.g. floral, linear and architectonic motifs), other symbols are engraved

Since the mid-twentieth century, the study of designs on seals has often focused on exotica and elite items. The PLOMAT project investigates visual and material communication outside of elite exchange networks during the Late Bronze Age in western Eurasia. The authors present results from plotting flows of 'commonplace' cylinder seals and those classified as 'Common-Style Mittani'.

The keeping of archives is one of the most systematic ways of preserving information through the collection of records. The keeping of records is in itself evidence of an intention to take down more than human memory can ever preserve. The Minoan world has produced a number of archival deposits, markers of ‘official’ information processing and preserving efforts, that date from the end of the MMII period and are last attested in the LM IB destruction layers all over Crete. Besides the mnemonic device par excellence, writing, which was put to the service of record-keeping, sealings that were meant to testify and authenticate administrative practices were also collected and kept, even after they had probably served their primal function.

This paper focuses on a small number of sealings found among the sealings retrieved at Akrotiri in Thera that date to LM IA, as well as sealings found in Cretan archival deposits that date to LM IB. The common element of the sealings in question is that they were stamped by the same metal ring bearing the motif of a horse race, and it is remarkable that some 80-120 years separates their manufacture. This (now lost) ring remains, to this day, unique in terms of its motif; unlike bull leaping scenes, that were repeatedly pictured in multiple seals and seal rings, the chariot race ring that stamped these sealings was not ‘replicated’ or imitated in any other administrative ring. The peculiarities of this unique ring and what was their potential significance are here discussed.

The study deals with the graphic system by which Linear A is expressed. It discusses the main characteristics that distinguish it, with particular emphasis on the ideographic part. It focuses on the signs and, after examining them, deals with the way they join together to form words. Through comparison with Linear B, it proposes the reading and the translation of a set of documents. When faced with an indeciphered language, the first thing to do is to try to read it. For as much as Linear A has many symbols in common with Linear B, and as much as these symbols, which mainly concern goods, make it possible to guess the meaning of many records even before reading them, we must never confuse 'interpretation' with 'decipherment'. Only the latter, finding the grammatical links that distinguish words and bind them together, allows the identification of the language and the consistent translation of documents. As regards Linear A, once one has made the right differences between ideograms, logograms and phonograms and once lists and words have been read correctly, the language emerges by itself allowing us to translate the texts, identifying the thread that binds to each other and getting a rational vision of the people who spoke it.