Sacred Symbols or Scientific Systems?: Minoan Religious Iconography and Traditional Knowledge
2025 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
This thesis examines Minoan iconography as a repository of ecological, medicinal, astronomical, and religious knowledge, where symbols were not mere art but encoded lifelines - vital knowledge rooted in the land, sea, and sky of the Mediterranean. Minoan symbols like bulls, serpents, and sacred plants were not just carved or painted; they were guides to survival, health, and order, blending the practical with the spiritual in ways that resist modern labels. By questioning conventional divisions between religion, medicine, and science, this study delves into traditional knowledge in the Minoan world. Here, the natural world was not resource or backdrop, but a participant in a dynamic exchange. This perspective thus asks us to rethink how we approach ancient knowledge systems, proposing that these symbols carry multifaceted insights that amplify our sense of place in the world.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. , p. 142
Keywords [en]
Minoan Civilization, Crete, Religion, Iconography, Traditional Knowledge, Symbolism, Sacred Landscapes, Knowledge Systems, Ecological Knowledge, Astronomy, Ethnobotany, Ethnozoology, Medicine, Subsistence, Cultural Memory, Mnemonics, Archaeology
National Category
History of Religions
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-57820OAI: oai:DiVA.org:sh-57820DiVA, id: diva2:1983450
Subject / course
The Study of Religions
Supervisors
Examiners
2025-08-142025-07-102025-10-07Bibliographically approved