Reply To: Myth Becomes History

[Kaitlyn]

The Palace Complex at Knossos is a great example of Arthur Evans hidden agenda, he named the complex Palace Minoan, yet the name “Minoan” was solely given by Evans because he wanted to believe he had found the palace of King Minos, a mythical Cretan king. He went on to describe a “throne room” without any proof a king or queen ever resided in the complex. His “extensive unconventional” restorations included detail that were not even from the ancient times, and in fact caused more damage, which “conservators are still trying to undo.” Another example, Evans gave the figure he found the name “Snake Goddess” and the name stuck, despite not really knowing what the figure represents.
When Schliemann discovered the “Mask of Agamemnon” it was called into question why this mask in particular had different features than the others found at the same site. It is speculated that he over restored the mask to make it more attractive to current century, probably thinking about what a publicity stunt would happen as a result.
I think the damage done by these two archaeologists did was giving the false impressions that stuck, so now what we know as the “snake goddess” could very well not be a goddess at all, And they both actually did damage the historical sites with their attempts at excavating or restoring them.