![]() ![]() ![]() The term “Minoan goddess” is often used to identify the visual evidence of an ancient religious concept that is not yet fully understood. ![]() There is still confusion as to whether images of Minoan goddesses represent a single goddess with varying aspects or multiple goddesses with different functions. Subsequent excavations have revealed shrines with goddess figures located in towns or certain areas of palaces, suggesting that the sphere of the Minoan goddess extended to the official public arena. Early interpretations of her worship, endorsed by Evans, focused on a domestic cult practiced in houses and palaces. The goddess is thought to have been worshipped in Crete from circa 3000–1100 B.C.E. Two of these statuettes were extensively restored and identified by Evans as a “Mother Goddess” and a “Priestess.” These figures became iconic images of Minoan civilization as soon as they were published, and ever since archaeologists, art historians, and feminist scholars have worked to determine their role and significance in Minoan culture.īecause written evidence is scarce, scholars have been forced to rely on ancient Minoan material and visual remains in order to understand the nature of Minoan religion. In 1903, Sir Arthur Evans, excavating at the palace of Knossos on the island of Crete, discovered fragments of faience statuettes depicting female figures holding snakes. ![]()
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