What is the symbolic meaning of the horns of consecration at Knossos?
What is the symbolic meaning of the horns of consecration at Knossos?
It is concluded that the ‘horns of consecration’ may represent a practical device as well as an abstract symbol of the Sun, a symbol of catholic importance, which embraced many aspects of Minoan religious activities as represented on Minoan iconography.
Did the Minoans use ox horns in religious ceremonies?
Minoan religion was the religion of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization of Crete. Prominent Minoan sacred symbols include the bull and the horns of consecration, the labrys double-headed axe, and possibly the serpent.
What was the Minoans sacred animal?
Ancient cultures throughout recognized the physical power of the bull and venerated the bull as a creature of the cosmos. The Minoan people of Crete, 2000 – 1450 BCE, emphasized bull veneration in their spiritual practices.
Did the Minoans worship female gods?
Minoan Deities From the deities they worshiped to the religious symbols they used, the Minoan religion was a major influence on the Greeks, with one notable exception: the chief deity of the Minoans was female. In depictions of the Mother Goddess, there are often birds sitting on or around the deity.
What is a lustral basin?
A sunken room entered down a short flight of steps found in Minoan palaces. Arthur Evans believed that they were used for ritual purification, but they could simply be bathrooms. From: lustral basin in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology »
What happens in the consecration?
In a prayer of entire consecration, a Christian surrenders himself/herself to God in order to allow Him to entirely sanctify his/her soul. A believer offers to God “his time, his plans, his possessions, himself, his all” in consecration.
What belief system did the Minoans have?
The Minoans seem to have worshiped primarily goddesses, and can be described as a “matriarchal religion.” Although there is some evidence of male gods, depictions of Minoan goddesses vastly outnumber depictions of anything that could be considered a Minoan god.
What was the religion of the Phoenicians?
Religion of the Phoenicians The Phoenicians were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped multiple gods. They shared in religious practices common to other Canaanite-derived people and correlated many of their gods to stars, planets, and constellations.
Did Minoan palaces have lustral basins?
Lustral Basins. A larnax is a small container used as an ash urn. They come in all sorts of different shapes but one that looks like an old-fashioned bath tub was quite common in Minoan Crete, particularly during the Third Palace Period.
What is a pillar crypt?
A subterranean room in a Minoan house or palace which contains one or two stone pillars.
Is consecration Catholic or Protestant?
“Consecration” is used in the Catholic Church as the setting apart for the service of God, of both persons and objects.