Published by the Swedish Institute at Athens. Distributed by Astrom Editions. The function of the Minoan palaces. Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium at the Swedish Institute in Athens, 10–16 June, 1984 Edited by Robin Hägg & Nanno Marinatos Abstract Fourty-seven papers on the functions of the palace, the most characteristic phenomenon of the Minoan Bronze Age civilization in Crete, read at an international conference in Athens; the papers are followed by transcripts of the discussion of the symposium. The papers are arranged in eight groups, discussing (1) background (Near Eastern and Egyptian economy), parallels (Mycenaean palaces) and methodology; (2) the emergence of the Cretan palaces; (3) the relations of the palace with town and territory; (4) recent archaeological finds; (5) the palaces as ceremonial and religious centres; (6) the palaces as centres of trade and manufacture; (7) the administrative systems of the Minoans and Mycenaeans; and (8) the function of the frescoes in the palace. For James Walter Graham and to the memory of Spyridon Marinatos. Contents ‘Preface’, p. 9 Background and methodology Benjamin R. Foster, ‘The Late Bronze Age palace economy: A view from the East’, pp. 11–16 Wolfgang Helck, ‘The dissolution of the palace economy in the…