matrifocal society where the central deity is female. Knossos is a unique glimpse at an evolved Neolithic Greek culture free from invasion and Bronze Age inter-ruption. It is believed that at its zenith, Knossos, and other settlements on the island of Crete enjoyed a sophisticated and flourishing civilization, living in harmony with nature and each other, with gender equality, abundance in food, material prosperity, and a thriving interest in the arts. This seeming magical epoch sometimes serves as a testament to what might be possible in a partnership rather
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The Lion’s Gate of Mycenae, which harkens back to the times of Homer,
features felines associated with
Goddess.
than dominator model of society where genders are in-sync with the natural rhythms of Goddess.
In 1900 Sir Arthur Evans, a British archaeologist, bought the site on which stands the Palace of Knossos. He uncovered the remains of a vast complex., and during the next 25 years he restored the palace using modern materials, amid much controversy. Thanks to his efforts, important buildings were saved from collapse and travelers today enjoy a potent glimpse of what life in Minoan Crete might have been like until it was destroyed in a cataclysmic event between 1450 and 1400 BCE. There is still much debate as to whether the eruption on neigh-boring Thera Island actually contributed to the destruction of Minoan civiliza-tion. Findings from excavations on Crete over the last decades remain largely unpublished, and difficult questions may necessitate a rethinking of the chronol-ogy of the Late Bronze Age and the accepted scholarship related to the eastern Mediterranean. Evans named the civilization he discovered Minoan for the leg-endary King Minos, though the origins of the inhabitants of the people of Crete are not completely clear. It is generally believed around 6000 BCE settlers from Anatolia inhabited Crete, a large island conveniently surrounded by three major continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. For several thousand years the civilization of Crete thrived. The people raised livestock, hunted, and farmed. Their society developed in sophistication over time, but the pervasive constant was worship of Goddess and their connection to nature, including an acceptance of the cycle of life and death.
According to scholars, worship was solitary and personal within the Early Minoan period when Goddess was venerated as Regeneratrix in caves, utilizing female figurines, amulets, and talismans that often depicted incised pubic trian-gles, symbols of the Earth Mother. Later, worship became communal within the Middle Minoan period of 2200 BCE and peak sanctuaries atop mountains were established. Artifacts found in these places tell archaeologists that ancient devo-tees once tucked meaningful figurines into rock crevices — as if placing it within the Mother herself. One ancient seal discovered at Knossos reveals the epiphany of the Great Goddess upon a mountain peak, surrounded by lions ascending the slope on either side of her, and set before her worshipper, with arms raised to the eyes, indicating this devotee’s ability to see the awesome deity in full splen-dor. Ritual and worship became increasingly complicated as it evolved from the Early to Middle and into the Late Minoan periods, with the latter time frame associated with libations, sacrifice, music, dance, processions, and bull jumping.
Frescos from Knossos depicting bull leaping are thought by some to represent men and women’s acceptance, understanding, and communion with the laws of nature. Peg Streep believes as dancers face the danger of bull jumping they symbolically face the potential of life and death meted out by Goddess. Other scholars cite bull leaping as initiation rituals of priests and priestesses. Despite the evolution and sophistication in their worship, the Minoans remained closely connected to the earth, ancient values, and their Minoan Goddess, whose ancient name is unknown. Streep quotes Gertrude Levy who describes the religion as
“unusually detached from formal bonds, but emotionally binding in its constant effort to establish communion with the elemental powers.” Clergy of the Minoan religion were thought to invoke the Goddess by blowing a triton or through the use of sacred dance which might encourage trance. Artifacts of faience models of ritual garb found in the Sanctuary of Knossos are suggestive of votive offer-ings, leading scholars to believe priestesses might have utilized sacred clothing
that when worn indicate they embody the deity in human form. This is similar to the menat collar of Hathor priest-esses or the collar of the Kumari. It is interesting to note that the sacred knot representative of the Goddess on Crete bears a remarkable resemblance to the reed bundle knot of Inanna and the knot of Isis, per-haps suggestive of the collective unconscious of humankind.
Temples dedicated to a deity were not known to be built within Minoan culture, instead,
accord-ing to scholar Walter Burkert, cult chambers were found in palaces and houses. Worship also continued in caves and peak sanctuaries atop mountains dotting the land-scape. The Palace of Knossos had an underground labyrinth-like design com-posed of many pillars, prompting Sir Arthur Evans to conclude that the Minoans may have been a “Pillar Cult.” This was believed the underground domain of the famous Minotaur of Greek myth which some scholars believe was a metaphor for the sacred marriage which took place at Knossos. The palace had flushing lavatories and bathrooms suggestive of purification rites. The well-known Snake Goddesses were found within the Central Palace Sanctuary of Knossos and are dated at 1600 BCE.
The two best known Snake Goddesses are shown bare breasted, with tiny waists, in flounced skirts, and exude a confident sexuality and certainty of fertil-ity. They both represent an image of Goddess as regeneratrix with the coiled serpents, symbols of life and death, in both of their outstretched hands and arms.
One image of the Snake Goddess wears a cat or lioness atop her headdress, while the other has more snakes at her waist. On the skirt of one Snake Goddess is a net-like design suggestive of her connection to or power over the web of life.
The seven layers of her skirt are thought to be associated with lunar events.
Scholars Evans and Nilsson believe the Snake Goddess may have been a house or domestic guardian as local customs survive today wherein some people put out bowls of milk for serpents in exchange for their care and protection. Much of what we know of Knossos and Minoan Crete has been derived from art and imagery heavily sourced from Neolithic times. Minoan writing has never been deciphered. Yet many interesting associations reveal themselves in seals, frescos, and pottery, such as the origins for the myth of Demeter and Persephone being rooted in Crete.
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The Snake Goddess figurines of Knossos display
imagery representing life, death, and lunar events.
The Minoan Goddess was embodied within a multitude of symbols, from the pillar and tree, to stalactites and stalagmites of caves, to birds, snakes, poppies, seashells, doves, butterflies, and most ubiquitous, the labrys, or double ax. It was from this Minoan symbol we derive the term labyrinth, rather than from the maze association commonly understood today. The world referred to the House of the Double Ax in Knossos, or the sanctuary of the Goddess. Marija Gimbutas makes the connection between the butterfly, the ax, and Goddess citing the but-terfly represented aspects of transformation, and the labrys reflected the “hour-glass-shaped Goddess of Death and Regeneration.” It is thought the double ax was a ritual object, possibly used in ritual sacrifice of bulls, but never utilized by men. It is also important to understand that while the bull was representative of masculine strength in Indo-European cultures, here, the horns of the bull were associated with the female powers of regeneration, (as in Catal Hüyük, Turkey), with some suggesting their shape even reminiscent of the female reproduc-tive organs. The importance of the bull horns were further represented in the iconography of the horns of consecration found around Crete and Knossos. Sir Arthur Evans, understanding their significance, reconstructed these horns on the western wall of the Palace of Knossos. They make a great photo opportunity! The ax was also thought to be utilized in the ritual cutting of sacred trees, another symbol of Goddess.
Bees were another important symbol of the Goddess on Crete. It is known the Minoans were bee keepers and the honey harvested used to embalm and pre-serve bodies, as well as in rituals. Bees or melissae were priestesses of Demeter, as well as Artemis Ephesia, who, as previously mentioned, might have had her origins in Crete. The humming sound of bees was associated with the voice of the Goddess.
Knossos has been excavated for decades, with most findings going unpub-lished, however in 1979, Peter Warren of Bristol University, who worked at the site for more than thirty years, discovered bones of children suggesting human sacrifice. He speculated their flesh was stripped from the bones and cooked with snails in a ceremony to ward
off pending disaster. To no avail, the end of Minoan Crete probably coincided with the volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini (Thera) located north of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. All the other palaces on Crete ceased to exist at this time, most likely destroyed by tidal waves created by the world’s greatest recorded volcanic explosion. While Knossos alone survived, this magnificent palace sub-sequently entered into a swift decline and was never rebuilt or inhabited again.
While the original frescos
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