Examining the pithos manufacturing process in Protopalatial Crete: the case of the Dessenne Building at Malia

This paper presents the results of a technological analysis of 28 Protopalatial pithoi retrieved from the storage rooms of the Dessenne Building at Malia, Crete. Despite the widespread use of pithoi in Minoan Crete and scholars’ interest in their role in resource management, pithoi have generally been overlooked in technological studies, resulting in a significant bias in understanding pottery manufacture. The present technological analysis sheds light on the entire manufacturing process of this specialised class of vessels by integrating results from the manufacturing forming stages with petrographical analysis and thus verifying correlations with morphological types.