The Significance of Private Administration in Late Minoan I A, as Illustrated by Seal Impressions from Akrotiri (Thera)

Abstract

Until a few years ago, scientific research into the functioning of administrative processes in the late Aegean Bronze Age posited the exclusive existence of a public administrative apparatus that was directed primarily from the palaces. Recently it has been suggested that administration was carried out on a private basis too. Linked to this is the hypothesis of the formation of an independent merchant class on Crete and at other sites in the Aegean, such as Akrotiri on Thera. Citing relevant finds, this article investigates the basis of an administration in a private context and proves that a private administration, conducted by the social elites, operated on Crete and indeed in the entire Aegean area. New finds from the late Aegean Bronze Age which came to light in excavations in the settlement at Akrotiri on Thera and constitute evidence of the administration are used here to illustrate that this private administration was part of the administration system in the Aegean.