Seals From Mycenae
Yesterday, I promised to return with images of seals excavated from Mycenae. Most of these are of lions and deer, some of which I'll share below. However, I was surprised to discover that the Mycenaeans were expert at crafting goddess/priestess seals; the famous examples you see in publications come from Mycenae, not Minoan Knossos. Minoan or Minoan-trained artists might have been responsible for these little gems, but maybe not.
I've captured some images of these lovely scenes featuring Mycenaean priestesses.
A scene of an ocean-side shrine. The Mycenaeans preferred to depict their women with larger breasts and plumper arms than the Minoans. If you're wondering about the figure on the right, yes, that is a man dressed as a priestess. Priests in the Aegean world sometimes cross-dressed, but this the only example outside the famous lyre-player depicted on the Agia Triadha sarcophagus that I've seen.
One of several seals depicting priestesses at an altar.
The image of a goddess. How do I know she's a goddess? She's flanked by lions/griffins, a sign of divinity in the Aegean world. Notice that while the torso/breasts and skirt are always lovingly detailed on these seals, the heads sometimes aren't. This is an example of that.
Speaking of flanking lions/griffins, here's an image that should be familiar to anyone even remotely interested in the Mycenaeans. Remind you of anything? You'd be right if you said Mycenae's iconic Lion Gate. I wouldn't be surprised if this seal didn't once belong to a ruler of Mycenae. Atreus might have used this seal, or Agamemnon.
Examples of animal seals typical of Mycenae.
Here's a thumbnail of a seal that made me sit up when I saw it. Can you guess what the owner's profession was?
What about this owner's profession? Possibly the official Vintner to the King of Mycenae? Overseer of the Pottery Works? An ancient oenophile?
Let's finish with three seals showing the Mycenaeans doing what Mycenaeans did best: fight. These seals must have belonged to the warrior elite. It's fascinating to imagine a 13th century B.C. noble commissioning such a seal and telling the lapidary, "I want to be shown stabbing the piss out of [enemy name]."