Statues of Ancient Goddesses Found.

Yahoo ^ | 9/30/2005 | A Greek Fellow, Nickolas whom AP will not let me C&P

[Little Bill]

Statues of Ancient Goddesses Discovered By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 42 minutes ago

ATHENS, Greece - The life-sized marble statues of two ancient Greek goddesses have emerged during excavations of a 5,000-year-old town on the island of Crete, archaeologists said Friday.

The works, representing the goddesses Athena and Hera, date to between the second and fourth centuries — during the period of Roman rule in Greece — and originally decorated the Roman theater in the town of Gortyn, archaeologist Anna Micheli from the Italian School of Archaeology told The Associated Press.

"They are in very good condition," she said, adding that the statue of Athena, goddess of wisdom, was complete, while Hera — long-suffering wife of Zeus, the philandering king of gods — was headless.

"But we hope to find the head in the surrounding area," Micheli said.

Standing six feet high with their bases, the works were discovered Tuesday by a team of Italian and Greek archaeologists excavating the ruined theater of Gortyn, about 27 miles south of Iraklion in central Crete.

Micheli said the goddesses were toppled from their plinths by a powerful earthquake around A.D. 367 that destroyed the theater and much of the town.

The statues fell off the stage, and were found just in front of their original position, she said.

"This is one of the rare cases when such works are discovered in the building where they initially stood," she added.

Hopes are high that other parts of the theater's sculptural decoration will emerge during future excavations.

"Digging has stopped due to the finds, but we suspect there may be more statues in the area," she said.

Gortyn, the Roman capital of Crete, was first inhabited around 3000 B.C., and was a flourishing Minoan town between 1600-1100 B.C. It prospered during classical and Roman times, and was destroyed by an Arab invasion in A.D. 824.

Greek mythology has it that the town witnessed one of Zeus' many affairs — with the princess Europa whom the god, disguised as a bull, abducted from Lebanon. Europe was named after Europa, who conceived her first son with Zeus under a plane tree in Gortyn.

The Italian School of Archaeology has been digging at the site since the early 20th century, in cooperation with Greek state archaeologists. So far, excavations have revealed fortifications, temples, baths, a stadium and an early church of St. Titus, who preached Christianity in Gortyn.

[Little Bill]

I asked the Mod to pull it I saw Blams post. The bulls head cult is very old, Egypt Narmer pallet for example and Catal Huyuk cult rooms for another example.

[Shanda]

I have always wondered if Crete might be Atlantis despite not being beyond the Pillars of Hercules.

[STD]

Does anyone remember a print of the Cross Covered with a Bull or Goat's head. It was a symbol of one of the later day Roman caesars Julian the Apostate. Can you point me to that print? Thanks in advance. Regards!

[theFIRMbss]

>Stag, Stallion, Goat, Bull- these are representations of the Male aspect of the Divine

A more intriguing
interpretation is that
of astrology

and the precession
of the equinox. In this
belief, the theory

is that the statues
of, say, bulls, were created
as celebrations

of the era of
Taurus. This tin foil belief
typically assumes

civilization
is much older than normal
timelines allow for.

[Little Bill]

My general view of archeology is that they are guessing most of the time. A prime example of that is the Monte Verde culture in Chili.

There are two views that can be taken. 1.) They came by boat, this would preserve the time line on the Peopling of the Americas and preserve a lot of reputations. 2.) They walked which would extend the time lines and destroy a lot of reputations.

I tend to follow Blam, he has posted the most on this, that the first major people in the Americas came from the East for the most part. I have never felt comfortable with the land bridge theory. It seems to me that the proponents of this are trying to make the facts fit the theory.

As for Atlantis, Plato was pretty specific on the description, Crete don't fit.

[EverOnward]

Bookmark

[Little Bill]

Ping for 45

[yarddog]

The trouble with Plato's description is nothing fits it. I guess the Azores maybe but there doesn't appear to have ever been any real civilization on those islands.

[Little Bill]

I think what Plato was repeating was a legend, there may a basis in fact, as for example Jason and the Argonauts, it has never been one of my interests so I never formed an opinion.

I do think though, that most myths, Campbell sucks, have a basis in fact, you have to look at the edge to see them, see Jason, a map and a current chart of the Aegean Sea helps also.

[SunkenCiv]

I wholeheartedly agree. Plato put Atlantis in the Atlantic, any way preclude that drowned lands exist elsewhere. But trying to have Plato tell us about places he'd never even dreamed of is like looking for your lost contact lens out where the light's better. :')

Monte Verde shows that humans have been in the Americas longer than the Clovis - First - and - Only bias permits. This hasn't got anything to do with Atlantis (other than speculative of course), it has to do with humans being able to get around by boat for at least 800,000 years, and imaginary barriers being constructed in the 19th and 20th century to fit a parochial political isolationism.

[Shanda]

I agree Atlantis is almost certainly a myth. Also agree that most myths have some basis in fact.

The reason I think Crete fits is I suspect ancient Greeks from around 2500BC were not really civilized but they did travel the Mediterannean. They would have thought of the Minoans as tremendously advanced, (rightly so in my opinion).

Well this idea of a great civilzation in the middle of the ocean would have spread. Then some time, around 1700 BC, the civilization was temporarily destroyed. This would also have found it's way to Greece.

Eventually the story of a great civilization, which flourished on an island, then disappeared could easily evolved into Atlantis.

[Little Bill]

There was a split in Minoan archeology around the start of the palace culture. Anatolian invasion? Thera had a small impact on Minoan Civilization, core samples in the Med.

You might want to look up Eberhard Zanagger, a Geo Archaeologist who has some rather strong opinions on early Greek history. He does answer letters, see the "Flood from Heaven" to start with.

[yarddog]

I am not really familiar with Zangger but have read somewhere that he thinks Atlantis is actually Troy.

That strikes me as about as far off the mark as it is possible to get while still remaining in the general area.

[Little Bill]

If I remember his argument, he was working off of satellite photo's. He wanted to do some core sampling to the Southeast of Troy, to prove a second port.

He has a critique of the Critas, which I read only in part, because I am not interested in it.

[theFIRMbss]

>My general view of archeology is that they are guessing most of the time
>The trouble with Plato's description is nothing fits it

-------------------------------------
"Two sons were born to Eber:
One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth
was divided; his brother was named Joktan."

Genesis 10:25

-------------------------------------

If scientists are wildly wrong on when the supercontinent broke up; If, in fact, it broke in Biblical times and that event is recounted in the story of Babel, other civilizations would have their own view. "Atlantis" might be one such. The bunched-up land mass supercontinent might have seemed circular to those living on it. (An odd study of the language of place names seems to support this view.)

[blam]

"Eventually the story of a great civilization, which flourished on an island, then disappeared could easily evolved into Atlantis."

I think Sundaland fits the bill. (It's not in the Atlantic though.)

[Shanda]

I don't think I have ever heard of Sundaland. Where is it located?

[blam]

"I don't think I have ever heard of Sundaland. Where is it located?"

Sundaland is an area around present day Indonesia and Malaysia, it was twice the size of present day India. It went underwater at the end of the Ice Age. It was one of the best places on earth to live during the Ice Age and humans and their cultures flourished there. .

Dr Robert Schoch, in his book, Voyages Of The Pyramid Builders, explains how the refugees from Sundaland took their custom of pyramid building all over the world when they fled their flooded homeland.

Professor Stephen Oppenheimer, in his book, Out Of Eden, explains how these people made their way to various parts of the world and were likely the Sumerians and even the 'wise men from the east' mentioned in the Bible and the Gilgamesh writings, etc.

Both excellent reading.