A decorative pottery style of Minoan Crete that appeared at the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age (c. 1900-1800 BC). This style of decoration consists of rough “prickles” made by applying small lumps of wet clay to the body and moulding them with the fingers to produce the desired result. This technique is particularly popular in two variants: the “dotted” and the “urchin” type, perhaps imitating the shell of marine crustaceans. In some case the barbotine surface is painted in a dark colour.