Middle and Late Bronze Age Metal Tools from the Aegean, Eastern ...

transfer of painted plaster moved from the west to the east, opposing the more common
understanding that the eastern Mediterranean influenced the Aegean. 819
The uncertainties
regarding the production of the eastern Mediterranean frescos and the debate about the
direction of technological transfer highlight the challenge of identifying how prehistoric
craftspersons moved about within the Mediterranean world.
Other evidence for the mobility of craftspersons in the LBA is found in the similar
construction techniques of the Mycenaeans and Hittites. The strongest architectural
parallels between these cultures include the corbelled vaulted galleries at Boğazköy and
Tiryns, and the Anatolian tradition of using a timber frame to shape wall sections, a
technique employed in the Mycenaean palaces. Nelson demonstrated that the walls in the
palace of Nestor (LH IIIB) were constructed by timber frames that were used as molds.
A finished wall section consisted of a series of pillars, each of which was formed by a
rubble and mortar mix poured inside a timber molding. After this mixture dried and
cemented, the timber molding was removed, leaving vertical gaps in the wall. These
chases were subsequently filled with lime mortar, although the timber mold was
occasionally left in place. This technique, according to Wright, is found at other
Mycenaean centers (Tiryns and Mycenae) and likely owes its origin to central Anatolia,
where wooden chases are recognized within MBA and LBA mudbrick monumental
buildings (e.g. Beycesultan, Acemhöyük, Kültepe, Boğazköy, Tarsus, and Maşat
Höyük). 821
It is with this connection in mind that the similarities of the tubular drill and
the pendulum/convex saw add to the likelihood of a Hittite and Mycenaean craft link.
819 Brysbaert 2008, 24, 165ff; Brecoulaki 2010.
820 Nelson 2001, 73-98.
821 Wright 2006, 28-33.
820
350