"Snake Goddess"

Title: "Snake Goddess"
Artist: Unknown
Medium: faïence sculpture
Era: 1600 BCE
Aegean Art
Location: Knossos, Crete

This figurine, believed to depict a goddess, was discovered in the early 1900s by famed archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. The figurine was found in the Temple Repositories in the Palace of Knossos on the Aegean Island of Crete. The figure was originally missing its head, hat, the majority of its right arm, part of the snake, and large parts of the skirt. The figure was originally thought to be a votary of a figure Evans proclaimed to be the real "Snake Goddess". However, today art historians recognize the figure above to be the Minoan "Snake Goddess".

The original reconstruction of the figure did not include the cat perched atop the headdress. This cat, identified as a lioness or a spotted pard, was placed atop the figure as both contained rivet holes suggesting a connection between the two.

The fact that Evans made this leap of faith has been a subject of argument among historians. Evans is well-known for taking liberation with his discoveries. For example, in his excavation of the Palace of Knossos Evans had the columns repainted red and black with little regard for preserving the state of the excavation.

The "Snake Goddess" wears a typical Minoan flounced skirt: made of Minoan wool while the skirt flared out from the hips to the ground. The figure's skirt and apron are held at the waist by what is believed to be either a belt or a girdle. The girdle may have been of religious importance to the Minoans, as a few faience double girdles were discovered at the site. The girdle may be related to Aphrodite's charmed girdle which she lent to Hera when she wanted to seduce Zeus and thus distract his attention from the Trojan war. This seduction was said to have taken place on Crete's Mount Ida. The "Snake Goddess" is said to be related not only to the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, but to the Egyptian Goddess Wadjyt.

Overall, this figure typifies Aegean artwork style through its use of faience, its size, and its religious subject. This figure is also useful in examining how the female figure is depicted throughout the history of art. In this particular case, the woman is partly nude and depicted in a religious light. She appears powerful with her raised arms and her menacing appearance, yet is a beautiful woman.

You can learn more about "Snake Goddess" at this site: http://witcombe.sbc.edu/snakegoddess