The Mysterious Ritual Enclosed in the Phaistos Disc and the Kernos Stone
The Mysterious Ritual Enclosed in the Phaistos Disc and the Kernos Stone

Author: Roberta Rio

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 43

ISBN-13: 1467880892

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Sometimes there are places that we find particularly attractive; places where we want to stay because something that is beyond our understanding calls to us. What I am about to describe to you belongs to this type of situation. The Phaistos Disc is a mystery. It belongs to that group of objects which are not interpretable through the classic historical-archaeological method. The Kernos Stone, however, is not considered to be a mystery: it is simply thought to be a surface for offerings. For traditional scholars, it is obvious what unites the Phaistos Disc to the Kernos Stone: they are both artifacts that belong to the archaeological heritage of Crete. Nothing more. But if we link these two objects in our imagination and, indeed, put one on top of the other, perhaps in the same place and at a specific day of the year, we would not only get the solution to an enigma, but also the magic combination to open the mystery that unites them and encloses them: an ancient ritual in which they were used together.

The Minoan Epiphany - A Bronze Age Visionary Culture
The Minoan Epiphany - A Bronze Age Visionary Culture

Author: Bruce Rimell

Publisher: Xibalba Books

Published: 2021-01-02

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13:

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The art and iconography of the Minoan civilisation of Bronze Age Crete is rightly described as having a refreshing vitality with a fortunate combination of stylisation and spontaneity in which the artist is able to transform conventional imagery into a personal expression. The dynamism, torsion and naturalism evident in Minoan art stands in stark contrast to the hieratic rigidity of other ancient civilisations, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the iconography of the Minoan Epiphany, a set of mainly glyptic (rings, seals, and seal impression) images which appear to depict religious celebrants experiencing direct and seemingly ecstatic encounters with deities. This collection of essays explores this central aspect of Minoan religion, taking a strongly archaeological focus to allow the artefacts to speak for themselves, and moving from traditional ‘representational’ interpretations into ‘embodied’ perspectives in which the ecstatic capabilities of the human body throw new light on Aegean Bronze Age ritual practices. Such ideas challenge rather passive assumptions modern Western observers hold about the nature of religious feelings and experiences, in particular the depictions of altered states of consciousness in ancient art, and the visionary potential of dance gestures. Speculative asides on the potential for a Minoan origin for Classical Greek humanism, and hints in the imagery on ancient Cretan conceptions of the cosmos, are set against sound archaeological theories to explain this lively and dynamic corpus of images. Beautifully illustrated with images and sketches of the relevant artefacts, this wide-ranging volume will stimulate audiences with archaeological, prehistorical and spiritual interests, as well as historians of religion and art. ‘The Minoan Epiphany’ also represents an influential antecendent to the Visionary Humanist philosophy which forms the majority of Bruce’s current independent research interests.

Minoans
Minoans

Author: Rodney Castleden

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2002-01-04

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 1134880642

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Thoroughly researched, Rodney Castleden's Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete here sues the results of recent research to produce a comprehensive new vision of the peoples of Minoan Crete. Since Sir Arthur Evans rediscovered the Minoans in the early 1900s, we have defined a series of cultural traits that make the ‘Minoan personality’: elegant, graceful and sophisticated, these nature lovers lived in harmony with their neighbours, while their fleets ruled the seas around Crete. This, at least, is the popular view of the Minoans. But how far does the later work of archaeologists in Crete support this view? Drawing on his experience of being actively involved in research on landscapes processes and prehistory for the last twenty years, Castleden writes clearly and accessibly to provide a text essential to the study of this fascinating subject.

The Phaistos Disk
The Phaistos Disk

Author: Thomas Balistier

Publisher: Verlag Dr Thomas Balister

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 111

ISBN-13: 9783980616805

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Since it was discovered in 1908, the Phaistos Disk - one of the most important artifacts from Crete's minoan culture - has challenged scholars of diverse diciplines and captivated interests of amateurs. Its allure is primarily due to the fact that no one has been able to really solve its mystery. None of the numerous decipherments has found general acceptance or scientific approval. This book does not offer yet another attempt at deciphering the Disk. Rather, it is a short presentation of the various research efforts on the dating and origin, writing and language, as well as content and purpose of the Disk. This lively account of the most important aspects of a not-so-strictly-scholarly debate, which has gone on for decades, also includes a view of the putative solutions.

Cretan Sanctuaries and Cults
Cretan Sanctuaries and Cults

Author: Mieke Prent

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2005-06-01

Total Pages: 813

ISBN-13: 9047406907

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This volume documents the development of Cretan sanctuaries and associated cults from the end of the Late Bronze Age into the Archaic Period (c.1200–600 BC). The book supplies up-to-date site catalogues and discusses recurring types of sanctuaries, the history of their use and their religious and social functions, offering new insights into the period as a whole. Ancient Crete is known as an island whose religion displays a strong continuity with ‘Minoan’ traditions. The period of 1200–600 BC in general, however, is considered as one of profound socio-political and cultural change. This study explores the idea of ‘continuity’ by detailing the different processes and mechanisms involved in the maintenance of older cult traditions and provides balance by placing the observed changes in cult customs and the use of sanctuaries in the broader context of societal change.

Ancient Greek Cults
Ancient Greek Cults

Author: Jennifer Larson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-05-07

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1134346182

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Using archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources; and incorporating current scholarly theories, this volume will serve as an excellent companion to any introduction to Greek mythology, showing a side of the Greek gods to which most students are rarely exposed. Detailed enough to be used as a quick reference tool or text, and providing a readable account focusing on the oldest, most widespread, and most interesting religious practices of the ancient Greek world in the Archaic and Classical periods, Ancient Greek Cults surveys ancient Greek religion through the cults of its gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines. Jennifer Larson conveniently summarizes a vast amount of material in many languages, normally inaccessible to undergrad students, and explores, in detail, the variety of cults celebrated by the Greeks, how these cults differed geographically, and how each deity was conceptualized in local cult titles and rituals. Including an introductory chapter on sources and methods, and suggestions for further reading this book will allow readers to gain a fresh perspective on Greek religion.

The Living Goddesses
The Living Goddesses

Author: Marija Gimbutas

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2001-01-12

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 9780520229150

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Presents evidence to support the author's woman-centered interpretation of prehistoric civilizations, considering the prehistoric goddesses, gods and religion, and discussing the living goddesses--deities which have continued to be venerated through the modern era.

Caves and the Ancient Greek Mind
Caves and the Ancient Greek Mind

Author: Yulia Ustinova

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2009-02-12

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 0191563420

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Caves and the Ancient Greek Mind analyses techniques of searching for ultimate wisdom in ancient Greece. The Greeks perceived mental experiences of exceptional intensity as resulting from divine intervention. They believed that to share in the immortals' knowledge, one had to liberate the soul from the burden of the mortal body by attaining an altered state of consciousness, that is, by merging with a superhuman being or through possession by a deity. These states were often attained by inspired mediums, `impresarios of the gods' - prophets, poets, and sages - who descended into caves or underground chambers. Yulia Ustinova juxtaposes ancient testimonies with the results of modern neuropsychological research. This novel approach enables an examination of religious phenomena not only from the outside, but also from the inside: it penetrates the consciousness of people who were engaged in the vision quest, and demonstrates that the darkness of the caves provided conditions vital for their activities.