Carrying fire: containing sacred and profane flame in the Aegean Bronze Age

In this article, I explore the uses of fire in the Aegean Bronze Age, and specifically Minoan Crete. Despite a rich archaeological record with plentiful traces of burning, fire has received much less attention than might be expected. Particularly curious is the relative occlusion of fire in scholarship on Minoan buildings. I therefore propose a methodology that seeks to situate fire in relation to both its specific technicities and its architectural milieux. One important distinction is between fixed and portable hearths and their different functions. While the fixed hearth is in later periods often associated with the sacred, this connection is hard to make in the Minoan context. However, portable equipment for fire holds out more promise with both sacred and profane uses likely. The article further reflects on the implications of fire’s portability for our understanding of Minoan conceptions of interior space, architectural aesthetics and atmosphere.