[ΚΕΝΟ]



Hanging nodule with "Mistress of Animals"

Σ-Τ166 1-3
Clay
Pieces missing.
Length: 2.8-2.9 cm. Thickness: 1.9 cm.
Knossos
Palace
Late Bronze Age. Final Palatial period, Late Minoan ΙΙ-ΙΙΙΑ2 period.:
1450-1300 BC:
Gallery:
VIII
Case:
77
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). Minoan religion. Palace cult
Cult scenes
Description
Fragments of sealings bearing a scene known as the "Mistress of Animals" or “Mother of the Mountains”. The scene has been reconstructed from many fragments of clay sealings found in the Central Sanctuary of the palace of Knossos, all bearing the impression of the same ring. The ring would have had an oval bezel, depicting a female figure standing at the top of a rocky mountain, one hand on her waist and the other outstretched and holding a long staff/sceptre. The rocky height and the female figure are flanked by two lions standing with their forepaws on the sides of the mountain. On the left is a two-storey building crowned with horns of consecration, while on the right is a male figure in the posture of an adorant, as seen in many male and female figurinesbelieved to represent worshippers. The divine nature and dominant position of the female figure are indisputable, while the male figure has been interpreted as an adorant (a ruler or otherwise) or a god (the son or companion of the female figure). The scene is interpreted as the epiphany of the goddess. The ring was probably an heirloom dating from the Neopalatial period, which remained in use during the final phase of the palace of Knossos.
Bibliography:
Evans, A.J. The Palace of Minos: A Comparative Account of the Successive Stages of the Early Cretan Civilization as Illustrated by the Discoveries at Knossos. Volume II,2. London, 1928, 808, fig. 528. Gill, M.A.V., W. M?ller and I. Pini. Corpus der Minoischen und Mykenischen Siegel II. 8,1. Iraklion Arch?ologisches Museum. Die Siegelabdr?cke von Knossos. Mainz, 2002, 397-399. Marinatos, N. Minoan Religion. Ritual, Image, and Symbol. Columbia, SC. 1993, 154, fig. 133.
Author:
E. S.


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