Green Park

Minoan Culture

The Bronze Age Mediterranean

Gold ring: Late Minoan I, Mochlos, Crete. c. 1500 BC.

The little boat on this gold and bronze ring appears to have neither sail nor oar to propel it.

'More than one ring recovered from Minoan deposits on the island of Crete, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, depicts a single female in a boat,' said Miranda. 'And curiously, the little boat on this gold and bronze ring carries nothing but a shrine, and in contrast to many other images of ships dating to this era, appears to have neither sail nor oar to propel it.'

'It seems to be travelling away from the land,' replied Quintin, turning away from a silver casting of a goddess in a boat with candles at the prow that he had created from a tracing of The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse. ''At least, to me it does. That graphic at the bottom of your text is one I adapted from a tracing of a photograph of this Minoan ring, made to look as though it's a black and orange painting on wood. I used to sail a small boat in the sea around Guernsey and I can tell you, you are really thankful for a strong bow when you crash down over one wave straight into the base of the next! I wouldn't want to do that going the other way around in this little vessel.'

'It might not have been intended as a functional boat,' said Miranda. 'This small ring was found in Late Minoan I deposits, about 1500 BC, from a cemetery on a small island close to the shore of eastern Crete. There were lots of graves of children there and this ring would have fitted a child's finger.'

'So a parting gift, then?'

'A talisman?' replied Miranda. 'Look! She almost seems to be waving at the shore.'

'Waving farewell?' said Quintin.