There is a big gap in Crete as regards the table, an otherwise indispensable piece of household furniture. The only old example, dating from the 17th century, is found in a monastery of Central Crete. It is 570 cm long, 75 cm high and 84 cm wide. It has eight legs, each 10x10 cm in cross-section, and a peripheral apron made from a fluted section of tree trunk. The table is in the refectory of the monastery and served the many monks of days gone by. We believe that the lack of old household tables is due to the fact that they were roughly made of pinewood and frequently moved around. As mentioned above, medieval tables were known as tavles (boards) because they were made of a series of boards set on trestles. This rudimentary construction meant that they soon disappeared.
In semi-mountainous areas of Crete are found small round tables in various sizes, comprised of a sawn tree-trunk top and three or four legs made of branches wedged into the thick board. These, like the local stools, belong to the “material culture of wood”.
There is also a low round piece of furniture made of pine boards called a
sofras
, which looks like a table but is not used as such in Crete. It is used by women for kneading dough and preparing various foodstuffs. It is hung on the wall when not in use. Such tables with low legs are common in Muslim countries and originate in Asia.
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