The Many Lives of a Snake Goddess: Diachronic, Multicultural, and Multisensory Perspectives’ examines two of the most iconic, but also problematic, finds from Minoan (Bronze Age) Crete: the so-called Snake Goddess figurines (dating to c.1600 BCE), which were discovered by Sir Arthur Evans during his excavations of the ‘Palace of Minos’ at Knossos in 1903.

Ever since, they have beguiled not only archaeologists, but also artists, writers, psychoanalysts, feminists, fashion designers, and followers of modern Paganism, among many others -all of whom have re-imagined these icons for their own purposes. They have become poster girls for Minoan Crete (3rd-2nd millennia BCE), a culture that, since Evans, has often been hailed as the cradle of European civilization and an advanced proto-feminist society.

Through these varied activities and outputs this will provide a comprehensive and innovative overview of the figurines’ ‘many lives’ to specialists and non-specialists alike. It combines the ancient and modern lives of these Minoan figurines through a systematic documentation and analysis of their rediscovery, reconstructions, diverse interpretations, and re-imaginations across multiple media (as outlined above) and at multiple levels (individual, local, national, and transnational).

• A dedicated website with a searchable database

• A virtual exhibition

• Access activities for people with sensory impairments

• and, a range of publications