Ivory inlay in shape of "sacral knot"



Ivory inlay in shape of "sacral knot"

Ο-Ε13
Bone (Ivory)
Intact
Length: 11 cm.
Knossos
Southeast House
Late Bronze Age. Neopalatial period, Late Minoan I period.:
1600 - 1450 BC:
Gallery:
VIII
Case:
91
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). Minoan religion. Palace cult
Religious symbols. Processions
Description
Ivory inlay in the shape of a "sacral knot" which originally decorated an object of a different material, perhaps wood. It represents a piece of cloth, a sort of scarf, knotted into a loop, letting both ends hang free. This cloth is conventionally termed a “sacral knot” because it is thought to be a ceremonial garment of symbolic significance. It is worn by the female figure in “La Parisienne” fresco (T27), who is believed to be a priestess. It is also worn by women in other frescoes depicting ceremonial scenes. It appears on seals together with other religious symbols such as the double axe or figure-of-eight shield, and in the shape of faience inlays attached to small objects. It appears that this type of textile played a distinctive part in one or more religious ceremonies and/or was a mark of the priestesses participating in them.
Bibliography:
Alexiou, St. "Contribution to the Study of the Minoan 'Sacred Knot.'" In W.C. Brince (ed.), EUROPA - Studien zur Geschichte und Epigraphik der Fr?hen ?g?is. Festschrift f?r Ernst Grumach. Berlin, 1967, 1-6. 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. Vol. I, London, 1921, 429-430, fig. 306, 308. Lenuzza, V. "Dressing Priestly Shoulders: Suggestions from the Campstool Fresco." In M.-L. Nosch - R. Laffineur (eds), KOSMOS. Jewellery, Adornment and Textiles in the Aegean Bronze Age. Aegaeum 33. Leuven - Li?ge, 2012, 255-264.
Author:
E. S.


Photographs' metadata