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Minoan Snake Goddess

Faience figurine (c. 1600 BCE) of a female figure holding snakes aloft, excavated from the Temple Repositories at the Palace of Knossos, Crete, by Arthur Evans in 1903. Held at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Greece.

Scholarly Significance

Anchor the Minoan Bronze Age cluster with the most iconic small-scale figurine from Knossos, expanding graph coverage into Aegean Bronze Age art traditions.

Patronage Context

Produced within the Knossos palace workshop tradition; likely for a cult or temple context given the findspot in the Central Palace Sanctuary (Temple Repositories).

Notes

  • ·Excavated from the 'Temple Repositories' (Central Palace Sanctuary) at Knossos by Arthur Evans in 1903 during his major excavation campaign.
  • ·The figurine depicts a frontally posed female figure with bare breasts, a tiered flounced skirt, and a high polos headdress, holding a snake in each raised hand. A small feline perches on her head.
  • ·The term 'Snake Goddess' was applied by Evans; subsequent scholars debate whether the figure is a deity, priestess, or votary.
  • ·Faience production in the Aegean Bronze Age was likely influenced by Egyptian faience traditions through trade networks.
  • ·The figurine is one of the most reproduced images of Minoan civilization and appears in virtually every survey of ancient art.