This small statue, only 34 centimetres tall, is one of the most mysterious objects in all of ancient history. This is the Snake Goddess of Knossos, found in Crete, Greece, and now kept in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. She is 3500 years old. She was made by the Minoans, the first civilization of Europe. Look at her carefully. She is holding two snakes, one in each hand. She is wearing a long flounced skirt, with layers like a modern dress. Her chest is bare. And on top of her head, she is wearing a tall hat, and on top of that hat, there is a small cat sitting. Why snakes? Why a cat? No one knows for sure. That is what makes her so powerful. The Minoans did not worship gods like Zeus or Apollo, who came later. They worshipped a Mother Goddess. She was the goddess of nature, of fertility, of life and death. Snakes were sacred to them, because snakes shed their skin and are reborn. They are connected to the earth, to the underworld, to healing. The figurine is made of faience, a kind of glazed ceramic, not gold or marble. It was found in 1903 by Sir Arthur Evans, inside a small pit in the palace of Knossos, along with other sacred objects. Evans believed it was a goddess of the household, protecting the home. But the most interesting part is her dress. Look at the pattern. It is tight at the waist, flared at the bottom, with an apron. It is almost exactly like a dress a woman would wear in Paris in 1900. When Evans found it, people were shocked, because women in 1900 were wearing the same style. The Minoans were 3500 years ahead in fashion. Her face is calm, her eyes are wide, her arms are raised. She is not scared of the snakes. She is controlling them. In Minoan art, women were not in the background. They were the priests, the leaders, the main figures. Minoan women had more power than women in Egypt, Greece, or Rome at that time. Some historians say there were two Snake Goddesses. One is in Heraklion Museum, the other is in the British Museum and other museums have copies. This is why you have seen her in many places. The most important question is: why is she holding snakes? Was she a goddess, or was she a priestess doing a ritual? Was this a ceremony for fertility, or for protection from earthquakes? Crete has many earthquakes, and snakes were thought to predict them. Today, the Snake Goddess is the symbol of Crete. She is the symbol of the Minoans. She is the symbol of a civilization where women held snakes and men painted bulls. va Secrets of the Past #SnakeGoddess #Minoans #HeraklionMuseum #Goddess #HERstory