Classics Department Collection

We have this beautiful wooden lyre in our Classics Department collection.

Lyres were known to be used by the ancient Greeks, and were in many ways like miniature harps. A classical lyre has a hollow body which was made out of turtle shell. Bards and poets are often described or depicted in ancient Greek and Roman art and literature as playing a lyre while reciting poetry.

In Greek myth, Hermes stole a herd of sacred cows from Apollo. In order not to be followed, he made shoes for the cows so that they could only walk backwards. Apollo could not follow where the cows were going. Hermes slaughtered one of the cows and using the entrails and a tortoise or turtle shell, he created the lyre. Apollo worked out that it was Hermes, and was very angry, but after hearing the sound of the lyre, he was soothed. Apollo traded the herd of cattle for the lyre.

This replica Minoan octopus jar is part of our Classics Centre collection.

 This particular style is called a "stirrup" jar, because the handles are shaped like the footholds on a horse’s saddle (which is what a stirrup is). Its fluid octopus design was common in the late Bronze Age (around 1500BC) on the Greek island of Crete. Ocean-style patterns, like the octopus, were popular on lots of vases because they were simple, random and curvy.

 At this time Greece had lots of land and the empire was wealthy. The pottery then reflects a joy in nature in the natural patterns that give a sense of life and movement. It was simplistic but the impact from this painting pattern comes from the shapes of the pattern and the vase’s shape and form. This oceanic style was also known to fill every little space on the vase possible.

 The original of this piece, found in the palace at Knossos on the island of Crete, is in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Heraklion on Crete and dates to about 1500 BC. There is a similar one in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

Text by Elsie Steane, Year 12

Our replica Minoan Snake Goddess is part of our Classics Centre collection.

These figurines, depicting a woman holding a snake in each hand, were found in Minoan archaeological sites in Crete. The first two of such figurines (both incomplete) were found by the British archaeologist Arthur Evans and date to the neo-palatial period of Minoan civilization, ca. 1700–1450 BC. Evans called the larger of his pair of figurines a "Snake Goddess", the smaller a "Snake Priestess"; since then, it has been debated whether Evans was right, or whether both figurines depicts priestesses, or both depict the same deity or different deities.

The figurines were found only in house sanctuaries, where the figurine appears as "the goddess of the household". They are made of faience, a technique for glazing earthenware and other ceramic vessels by using a quartz paste. This material symbolized in old Egypt the renewal of life, therefore it was used in the funeral cult and in the sanctuaries. After firing this produces bright colors and a lustrous sheen. It is possible that they illustrate the fashion of dress of Minoan women: a tight bodice which left the breasts bare, a long flounced skirt, and an apron made of material with embroidered or woven decoration.

Our replica of the Phaistos Disc is part of our classics centre collection.

The Phaistos Disc is made of clay and is about 15 centimetres wide. It was found on 3 July, 1908 during a dig in the Minoan palace of Phaistos, which is on an island called Crete. The disc is one of the most famous Bronze Age finds and it is very mysterious. It shows over 240 human, animal and plant symbols going round it in a circle. They were all printed with individual stamps.

People on Crete during the Bronze Age (2600 to 1100 BC) did very well and their society thrived. An archaeologist called Arthur Evans discovered the civilisation and called them "Minoans". They were very advanced, possessing a writing system, sophisticated plumbing and vast palaces.

The word "Minoan" refers to the mythical King Minos. People know King Minos from the Greek myth of the minotaur, a monstrous beast which is half-human and half-bull, who was trapped inside a labyrinth. The archaeologist Arthur Evans found a large site called Knossos which he connected to the mythical labyrinth. According to Homer (an ancient Greek writer several hundred years later), Crete once had 90 cities during the Bronze Age.

Text by Elsie Steane, Year 12

This type of helmet is known as a 'Corinthian helmet' by archaeologists because the goddess Athena is shown wearing it on Corinthian coins from its period of use (7th - 3rd Century BC). This style of helmet was also frequently featured on the decorative vases. 

This replica helmet was created based on an original Italo Corinthian style helmet that can be seen in the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford (more detail here). The original has a large hole in the temple, presumably the result of battle. This helmet was created especially for the Museum and Iris Classics Centre at Cheney by Matt Lukes at Fabrica Romanorum. At some of our events, members of the public are able to try this helmet on!