This volume is the fifth in the series dedicated to the excavations of the so-called Quartier Mu, a complex of structures within the larger site of Malia, Crete. Malia was one of the most important centres of Bronze Age Crete, and developed considerably especially during the Middle and early Late Bronze Age (corresponding to the so-called First and Second Palace periods, i.e. 1900–1500 b.c.). Quartier Mu was destroyed at the end of the Middle Minoan II (around 1700 b.c.) with a violent conflagration, which assured the excellent preservation of substantial parts of the buildings and their contents: two large residential/administrative/ceremonial buildings (Bâtiments A and B), their annexes (Bâtiments E and D) and the surrounding houses/workshops (Ateliers des Sceaux, de Potier, de Fondeur and Bâtiment C). It is therefore known as one of the best cases for the reconstruction of material life in Minoan Crete and a fundamental reference for the study of the island's Middle Bronze Age, above all thanks to the careful and detailed publications of the finds by the excavator, P., and his collaborators. As P. states in the introduction, after volumes dedicated to the written documents found in the buildings (Mu I, 1978) and the products of luxurious crafts (Mu II, 1980), the publications took a turn towards the reconstruction of everyday life and craft activities, with the presentation of the houses/workshops (Mu III, 1996) and the production and use of the pottery (Mu IV, 2005). Mu V continues along the same path and completes the picture, illustrating the implements in chipped (T. Carter) and ground (H. Procopiou) stone, the manufacture of stone vases (É. Morero), the textile tools (P., J. Cutler, E. Andersson Strand, M.-L. Nosch), the devices for heating and lighting (P.) and the faunal remains (E. Vila, D. Helmer, A. Prieur, P.). These form the elements of a possible larger reconstruction based on material culture: ‘En arrière-plan, c'est toute une partie de l'organisation maliote, pour l'acquisition des matières premières, la gestion du domaine agricole, la répartition des tâches de la communauté, qui peut apparaître grâce à l’étude de tous ces objets' (P., p. 2).

The overall quality and precision of the different studies matches the tradition of the Mu series, contributing significantly to the understanding of craft and production activities within the complex. The investigation of such topics in Minoan Crete, though fairly well developed (e.g. R.D.G. Evely, Minoan Crafts: Tools and Techniques. An Introduction, vol. 1, 1993; vol. 2, 2000), has been somewhat limited by the scarcity of detailed evidence from sound artisanal and domestic contexts: in recent years, a number of publications have started to fill this gap (especially from the Late Bronze Age sites of Kommos, Mochlos and Palaikastro; see also the conference K. Glowacki, N. Vogeikoff-Brogan [edd.], ΣΤΕΓΑ. The Archaeology of Houses and Households in Ancient Crete, Hesperia Supplement 44 [2011]). Previous study of the houses/workshops of Quartier Mu and now this new book on tools and techniques follow the same direction and offer a significant increase in the information available to understand life at the site in the Middle Bronze Age.

The specific studies collected in Mu V address in the first place material, typological, morphological and functional classification. The obsidian from the quarter has different sources (mainly Melos in the Cyclades, but also some from Giali in the Dodecanese and from the volcano Göllü Dağ in Southern Cappadocia) and shows two separate pressure-flaking traditions operating in tandem. A major achievement of the analysis of the ground stone tools is the separation of querns used mainly for cereals from those used mainly for mineral substances on the basis of their use/wear. Whetstones of different textures come in sets, to be used in the various phases of the polishing process. Experimental tests contribute to the understanding of stone vessel manufacture, with some surprises and differences from Egyptian practice, where the craft was well developed. The large numbers of loom-weights and their sophisticated typology allow various analyses on the possible final products, based on the types of yarn used and the resulting thickness of the cloth. The fundamental role of lamps in daily life is demonstrated by their wide distribution across the quarter, while fire-boxes, incense-burners and scuttles speak of other pyrotechnical activities. Cattle were exploited for milk and traction, while sheep and goats provided the most consumed types of meat. Bone working is also attested.

One of the major assets of the book is that the different studies share some major approaches, namely the focus on technology, function and context. A short introduction on the main technological aspects of each craft opens each contribution, allowing the reader to follow the analysis and the reconstruction of the chaîne opératoire; and graphs, tables and statistics, ‘quantitative data’, are widely used better to illustrate the text. What emerges is that in some cases (obsidian blade production, stone vessel manufacture) the most widespread technological solution is not the most efficient one for large-scale production, but one probably better adapted to non-intensive activities aimed at the fulfilment of local and daily needs. The stress is then on cultural choices and craft traditions. Ground stone implements and textile tools tell another story, with their many types hinting at highly sophisticated crafts, a point also enhanced by their contextual analysis. Indeed, the examination of the finds within their contexts is a particularly strong aspect of the book, once again shared across all the studies. Context and function often enlighten each other, with some significant discoveries for the reader, who can finally appreciate the ‘tool kit’ of seal-carvers and stone vase makers: the Atelier des Sceaux has the largest assemblage of obsidian blades in the complex, while the Atelier de Potier, where stone vase manufacture is attested, collects a noteworthy assemblage of various types of whetstones and polishers and of querns probably used for grinding mineral substances. Textile tools are quite widespread in small numbers, witnesses of household production: but the existence of major clusters of different typology in the main buildings of the complex (Bâtiments A, B and D) points to a specialised and diversified production on a more substantial scale.

On a more general level, these studies underline possible social differences between the various parts of the quarter and pinpoint gaps to be hypothetically filled by close relationships with the surrounding town and countryside. The large residential (also administrative and ceremonial) Bâtiments A, B and their annexes seem not only to be involved in some form of specialised (administered?) textile production, but also to consume exclusively high-quality meat (and oysters), while the houses/workshops that contain specialised stone tools, have a less refined diet. Again it is thanks to the study of textile activities and of patterns of meat consumption that the countryside enters the reconstruction as a fundamental economic component, hypothetically providing the quarter with spun yarn and young animals.

Catalogue of finds, indexes, bibliography and a rich array of illustrations (b/w and colour) conclude the book. The reader will find particularly helpful the plates illustrating the distribution of various types of objects throughout the quarter (pls II.2–3, IV.1, VI.1, VII.1–2, VIII.1–3).

This volume is a valuable contribution to research on Minoan crafts and daily life: as summarised by P. in the conclusion, ‘Les travaux et les jours au Quartier Mu’, it provides further materials for the ongoing critical reflection on the social and economic organisation of Quartier Mu and the site of Malia during the Middle Bronze Age.