Reply To: Myth Becomes History

[Aalieyah Creach]

Both Heinrich Schilemann and Sir Arthur Evans seemed to conjure up ideas of what they wanted to believe they found over what they had originally found. For instance upon finding the sculpture of the “Snake Goddess” it later broke during and earthquake along with some other artifacts he had found and at first seemed to believe they were part of a cult shrine. Evans ended up reconstructing the “Snake Goddess” into his own design and labeled her as a Goddess when there was said to be no known evidence of a structured society being ruled by kings, priests or gods. The only circumstantial evidence that can be indicated is that women played a dominate role. Then we have Schilemann and his discovery of the “Mask of Agamemnon” that he took upon himself to alter in order to please the current cultural style. I feel that these archaeologists have colored how we see art of the ancient Aegean world as misleading some what because if they were able to modify ancient artifacts and changed them so that they are more beneficial, for their fame then what is even accurate within the ancient Aegean world?