[ΚΕΝΟ]



Gold signet ring with cult scene

Χ-Α1629
Metal (Gold)
Intact
Maximum diameter: 2.1 cm. Minimum diameter: 1.1 cm. Hoop diameter: 1.6 cm.
Poros
Cemetery
Late Bronze Age. Neopalatial period, Late Minoan IB period.:
1500-1450 BC:
Gallery:
VIII
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). Minoan religion. Palace cult
The epiphany cycle - Gold rings
Description
Gold ring with “Sacred Conversation” scene on the oval bezel. On the right side of the scene is a male figure shaking the branches of a sacred tree emerging from a wooden enclosure. In the centre, a man standing on a podium addresses a goddess appearing in the sky accompanied by two birds, perhaps falcons. The goddess is still hovering in the air as she descends from on high. The course of her descent is indicated by a tiny figure just discernible in the background, which marks the first stage of the epiphany. The man’s central position, the podium and his gesture indicate that he is a ruling figure of the palatial authority or a god. Whether this is a divine couple or an illustrious mortal “conversing” with the goddess, his stature is evident; all the more so if he is the ruler renewing his royal authority with the blessings of the goddess. The falcons accompanying the descent of the goddess lend the scene a particularly atmospheric air, perhaps echoing a specific mythological background.
Bibliography:
Dimopoulou, N. and Rethemiotakis, G. "The ‘Sacred Conversation’ Ring from Poros". In I. Pini (ed.), Minoisch-Mykenische Glyptik. Stil, Ikonographie, Funktion. V. Internationales Siegel-Symposium, Marburg, 23.–25. September 1999, CMS Beiheft 6, Berlin, 2000, 39-56.
Author:
S. M.


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