Table Of Content

M I N O A N R E L I G I O N Ritual, Image, and Symbol NANNO MARINATOS MINOAN RELIGION STUDIES IN COMPARATIVE RELIGION Frederick M. Denny, Editor The Holy Book in Comparative Perspective Arjuna in the Mahabharata: Edited by Frederick M. Denny and Where Krishna Is, There Is Victory Rodney L. Taylor By Ruth Cecily Katz Dr. Strangegod: Ethics, Wealth, and Salvation: On the Symbolic Meaning of Nuclear Weapons A Study in Buddhist Social Ethics By Ira Chernus Edited by Russell F. Sizemore and Donald K. Swearer Native American Religious Action: A Performance Approach to Religion By Ritual Criticism: Sam Gill Case Studies in Its Practice, Essays on Its Theory By Ronald L. Grimes The Confucian Way of Contemplation: The Dragons of Tiananmen: Okada Takehiko and the Tradition of Beijing as a Sacred City By Quiet-Sitting Jeffrey F. Meyer By Rodney L. Taylor The Other Sides of Paradise: Human Rights and the Conflict of Cultures: Explorations into the Religious Meanings Western and Islamic Perspectives of Domestic Space in Islam on Religious Liberty By Juan Eduardo Campo By David Little, John Kelsay, and Abdulaziz A. Sachedina Sacred Masks: Deceptions and Revelations By Henry Pernet The Munshidin of Egypt: Their World and Their Song The Third Disestablishment: By Earle H. Waugh Regional Difference in Religion and Personal Autonomy 77u' Buddhist Revival in Sri Lanka: By Phillip E. Hammond Religious Tradition, Reinterpretation and Response Minoan Religion: Ritual, Image, and Symbol By By George D. Bond Nanno Marinatos A History of the Jews of Arabia: From Ancient Times to Their Eclipse Under Islam By Gordon Darnell Newby M I N O A N R E L I G I O N Ritual, Image, and Symbol NANNO MARINATOS University of South Carolina Press Copyright © 1993 University of South Carolina Published in Columbia, South Carolina, by the University of South Carolina Press Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Marinatos, Nanno. Minoan religion : ritual, image, and symbol / by Nanno Marinatos. p. cm. - (Studies in comparative religion) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-87249-744-5 (alk. paper) 1. Minoans-Religion. 2. Crete (Greece)-Religion. I. Title. II. Series: Studies in comparative religion (Columbia, S.C.) BL793.C7M34 1993 299'.1-dc20 92-11628 To the memory of Sir Arthur Evans CONTENTS Series Editor's Preface / VIII Preface / ix 1 Introduction / 1 2 The Cult of the Dead in Prepalatial Crete / 13 3 The Palaces as Cult Centers / 38 4 The Shrines in the Palaces / 76 5 Town Shrines and Nature Sanctuaries / 112 6 The Priesthood / 127 7 Goddesses and Gods / 147 8 Shrines and Rituals / 175 9 The World of Nature / 193 1o Ritual Contests, Hunting, and Rites of Passage / 201 11 Minoan Religion after the Fall of the Palaces / 221 12 Conclusions / 242 Abbreviations / 245 Notes / 249 Illustration Credits / 297 Glossary / 301 Index / 303 SERIES EDITOR'S PREFACE This book represents a significant extensive experience as a field archaeol- break-through in the analysis and ogist has prevented the project from interpretation of Minoan religious sites, be-coming overly speculative, whereas Dr. artifacts, and symbols. Combining Marinatos's thorough acquaintance with archaeological, historical, semiotic, and comparative religion theory and method cultural anthropological approaches, Dr. has lifted the project far above the merely Marinatos has arrived at a new way of descriptive level of technical scholarship understanding the religious world of on sanctuaries and material culture. In Minoan civilization. short, Minoan Religion is both a technically Perhaps the most important aspect of accomplished book and an accessible this new synthesis is its bold venture of survey of one of the most appealing yet attempting a reconstruction of Minoan difficult topics in the history of Minoan ritual processes within their original studies, the beliefs and ritual practices of contexts rather than by inference from the prehistoric Minoans in the context of classical Greek religion of historical times. eastern Mediterranean culture of the time. This effort would be impossible without the balanced multidisciplinary approach Frederick Mathewson Denny that the author has taken. Her PREFACE The idea of this book was conceived on a recently by eminent authorities in the sunny day in Colorado when Frederick field, I remain unconvinced. Denny invited me to contribute a I wish to thank the Institute for Aegean mono-graph to his series on world Prehistory for providing me with a grant religions. At that time I was not sure I to prepare the line drawings. These were could accomplish the task of writing a made by Lily Papageorgiou. Photographs book on such a large topic, but I ended were provided by the Italian up undertaking the project. One of the Archaeological School in Athens, Mrs. main reasons I did so is that there exists Alison Frantz, Dr. E. Hallager, Dr. A. no other work dealing exclusively with Hirmer, and Prof. P. Warren, all of whom Minoan material which stresses cult I thank warmly. For permission to practice over archaeological data and reproduce illustrations I have to thank makes use of anthropological models. Drs. Y. Tzedakis, A. Kanta, L. Morgan, The greatest challenge has been to W.-D. Niemeier, G. Rethemiotakis, S. present detailed information on the ma- Hood, K. Branigan, and the Managing terial necessary for the argumentation, Committee of the British School at and yet not to make the book incompre- Athens. hensible or boring to historians of reli- The manuscript has profited much gion to whom the series addresses itself. I from the support and encouragement of am not sure I have succeeded, but the my friends and colleagues whose ad-vice attempt to present Minoan religion from in various matters helped me improve the the perspective of ritual process had to book. Editorial assistance was provided be made. by Ms. B. Conrad, especially regarding In my discussion of the iconographical the preparation of the illustrations. sources I have deliberately omitted two Individual chapters were read and important objects, the so-called Nestor commented upon by Drs. S. Diamant and Minos rings, because I believe them and Ch. Sourvinou-Inwood. to be forgeries. Although the genuineness The entire manuscript was read by of these rings has been defended Prof. E. Davis, Prof. W.-D. Niemeier, Ix