Minoans: Bull’s Head Libation Vessel (1,600 – 1,500 BCE)

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The Minoan civilisation was a precursor of Ancient Greek culture and was based on the island of Crete from before 3,000 until around 1,000 BCE… Cattle are still prominent in the art and worship here, however, it is the worship of bulls in Minoa that gave rise to the myth of the minotaur.

One of the finest finds excavated at the Knossos site is a Bull’s Head Libation Vessel exquisitely carved from black serpentine, detailed in light relief and inlayed with shell around the muzzle. The eyes are striking, made of quartz crystal and jasper, and seem almost alive as they catch the light. The magnificent horns are of gold. The level of technical ability represented in this piece is a major step in its own right, but it is the naturalistic accuracy of the model fused with the artistic purity of the forms that show a change in how humans now see, and respond to, the world around them.

This vessel is religious art and its making would have been a devotional act in itself. It was then used ritually to present offerings of wine or oil. This shift of reverence from cow to bull also marks the beginning of the change from matriarchal to patriarchal dominance. For the first time we have a culture that worships the masculine over the feminine. Their pantheon still comprises both gods and goddesses, but increasingly through their long cultural development, it is the male principle that finds favour. Why would this change come about?

Before this period, cultures knew very little of each other. It was unlikely that one culture or clan would travel far enough to interact with another. With the increase in world population and improving technologies, such as wheeled carts and boats, the overlap of one society with another became ever more likely. When one culture meets another, there is often a clash. This is one of the sad facts of human history. The competitive streak that pushed our early ancestors to survive and progress also leads to a propensity for conflict. The Minoans were one of the earliest civilisations to have to deal with potential invaders who might come across their rich culture and regard it with envious eyes. This necessitated a much more protective and pugnacious attitude. This is what they saw as being represented by the bull, rather than the cow. It was the bull who protected the herd, saw off rivals, sired the calves. Cows were still revered as mother figures and symbols of fertility and abundance, but it was the powerful bull that kept them safe and made their way of life possible… 

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