I find these ceramic models from the minoan age of crete very interesting, especially the elaborate one with the multiple figues. Their cylindrical shape is not readily identifiable as any minoan architectural form, but it seems clearly indicative of some sort of structure. The presence of the "goddess with upraised arms" in a few instances of this type have led some to believe them to be shrine models, but since the minoans don't have any formal shrine-structures that we know of, this seems suspect. Some have observed the forms of these models resemble Pyxis, a kind of lidded jar, and thus think that, while they do depict structures, their form is taken from the forms of wheelthrown pottery rather than any real architecture.
