Goddess Shrine at Kavousi, Crete
circa 1100 bce
Goddesses, snake tube offering stands with bowls seated atop them, and plaques with tiny horns. The plaques were probably painted originally and suspended through their pierce-holes on the wall behind the deities. Kavousi, Crete.
This snake tube offering stand has horns of consecration at top.
Archaeologists have found that the offering stands matched the goddesses
in the shrine, not only in design themes, but also being made out of the same clay. If the goddess was painted red, so was her offering stand. The snake tubes were either placed below the goddesses on the altar, or stood next to them.
This offering bowl with intertwined serpents would have been placed atop
the votive stand for libation or food or incense.
Back view of a goddess from Kavousi, showing the tresses
worn by women in the earlier classic art of Crete.
Her crown bears the "palette" symbols.
Two arms from a ceramic goddess with snakes coiled around her arms.
Several examples of this classic symbolism were found
in the late period shrines. Prinias, Crete.Canaanite Precursors of the Cretan Snake Tubes
