I CENSIMENTI OVINI (CLASSE D-) E LA CRONOLOGIA DEGLI ARCHIVI DI CNOSSO

This paper represents a study of the D-class tablets from Knossos. This class includes several sets of documents dealing with the administration of the sheep flocks of the palace. A large group (Da-Dg, Dk(2), Dm, Dn & Dv), written by scribe 117, was found in the J1 deposit, while a smaller – and less homogeneous – group(Dk(1), Dl, Do, Dq and D), written by several scribes, was found in the NEP. The main aim of this article is to offer an analysis of these documents from a comparative point of view. The study of the scribal hands, findspots, prosopography and topography represents the first step for a clear definition of the similarities and differences existing between the two groups. On the other hand, a deeper study on the bureaucratic and administrative mechanisms which produced them offers the possibility to understand the nature of their reciprocal relationship. Finally, the formulaic, administrative and bureaucratic differences and similarities revealed are analyzed in the wider perspective of the chronological question of the archives of Knossos