medium Minoan Snake Goddess A

The famous Minoan Snake Goddess figurines were discovered in 1903 by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. They were unearthed at the Palace of Knossos on Crete, inside stone-lined underground pits just south of the Throne Room within the Central Palace Sanctuary. They date back to ca 1650–1550 BCE. They were found buried alongside other ritual items following a destructive earthquake.

Both statues were crafted from faience, a glazed ceramic material made from crushed quartz-paste that produced a vibrant, lustrous finish. They share iconic Minoan fashion elements, featuring tight, corseted bodices that completely expose their bare breasts to symbolize fertility and maternal power. They also wear elaborate, tiered flounced skirts wrapped with thick structural girdles and layered ceremonial aprons adorned with intricate geometric diamond patterns. The exquisite layered clothing was conveyed to great effect in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2004!

The larger figurine (B) (standing at roughly 34 cm) is heavily associated with chthonic underworld power. She wears a tall, tiered head-dress around which a snake rears its head forward. Multiple snakes coil all the way down her arms, body, and tight belt, weaving together to frame her torso. This intense reptilian entanglement is traditionally interpreted by scholars as a powerful symbol of earth connection, life renewal, healing, and absolute protection.

The smaller figurine (A) (standing at roughly 29 cm), by contrast, presents a more active, triumphant pose. She holds two separate snakes high in her outstretched hands, mimicking an epiphany or a fierce ritual command. Perched on her circular headdress sits a small seated feline, often interpreted as a lioness or panther cub. This unique combination may represent her dual dominion over the subterranean underworld and the wild creatures of the earth.

Flourishing on Bronze Age Crete ca 3000–1100 BCE, the Minoans were a vibrant, colourful and innovative civilization that celebrated the beauty of life, nature's rhythms, and the sea which surrounded them.

Their extraordinary artistic output reflects their love of the natural world. Their sprawling palaces, most famously Knossos, Malia, and Phaistos, were adorned with breathtaking frescoes characterized by fluid lines and vivid colors. Instead of grim battle scenes, these murals depicted graceful leaping bulls, blue monkeys, and delicate saffron crocuses. Their creativity extended to their exquisite pottery, which featured dynamic motifs of octopus and coral wrapping around clay vessels, reflecting a sophisticated society deeply in tune with its environment.

This intimate connection with nature was inextricably linked to their mastery of the sea. Developing a formidable thalassocracy, the Minoans dominated the Aegean as unparalleled seafarers. Their advanced sailing vessels, elegantly depicted in frescoes at Akrotiri on Santorini/Thera, carried olive oil and fine ceramics across lucrative trade networks across the Mediterranean world, returning with exotic ivory and gold.

The material is keramin, a heavy, durable plaster polymer compound. The elaborate colouring is applied by hand, so there will, inevitably, be a slight variation in colour from piece to piece.

Made in Greece in the workshop of the Semitekolo family with whom It's All Greek is proud to have been working since 1999, and who produce It's All Greek's bedrock bronze collection, together with other keramin busts, statues and masks.