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Sacred Symbols or Scientific Systems?: Minoan Religious Iconography and Traditional Knowledge
Södertörn University, School of Historical and Contemporary Studies, The Study of Religions.
2025 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE creditsStudent 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
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Examiners
Available from: 2025-08-14 Created: 2025-07-10 Last updated: 2025-10-07Bibliographically approved

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • harvard-anglia-ruskin-university
  • apa-old-doi-prefix.csl
  • sodertorns-hogskola-harvard.csl
  • sodertorns-hogskola-oxford.csl
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf