Neolithic astronomy and Minoan Crete

 

 

 

 

 

In the previous post  I   mentioned  that Neolithic  religion despite  the   prevalence of  Henges  and  marking   post rows   that  Astronomy  played little  part in Neolithic  perceptions      the  Henges were mortuary  standing people,  there was no Henge calendar or solstice prophecy  and despite  June crowds  celebrating mid summer pagan  roots in  stony Wiltshire   winter solstice not the summer  solstice was  the  Neolithic  to bronze age main festival

If  even noticed the night sky with its patterns  and unchanging  was seen as  some sort of  "Dananash"  community  the sky was daylit with the   cyclic struggle  of  Bele/Dunors/Tir   sun in darkness

 

This  can also be explored  in    the  astronomy  of Minoan Crete   that lost Civilization    linear  A  un translated Atlantean    survival  of  the  Martian Chronicles 

 

Last year i emailed  Bethany Hughes   a oh so British establishment   Hellenic woman's  history   author  and presenter   of  the now outdated "Atlantis  the evidence"  and now rarely seen being at the  grey end of TV yoof history  asking for her TV historian opinion of my  theory that the   famous  bull leaping  Toreador fresco in Knossos  is  an Astronomical image   depicting not bull leaping  but embracing the bull     the  sun  as leaper passing between two earth goddesses  across the  dappled bull hide of the night  sky 

 this bull leaoing   design is also   seen on the Vaphio vase   but taken as  showing a sporting event only

 

 

 I never had any reply  from Bethany  on this simple question  of   "A new theory  of the Pelagsi archetype  Kujata  bull   solar mythology     of the  Sun god Rajk  embracing   the  Earth goddess  Reja   after his  journey across the night sky   and its influence on   the iconography of   Late  Minoan  period  III."

I have since discovered  like all the posts  on  Betthany  facebook account   this email   was  a job role of  her PR team   who  must have thought I was  Erich von Daniken!!

 

Bethany Hughes  one of many of  the Telly Panthers   you find on British  TV  originally  news reading   now  presenting  anything from  antiques to royal weddings  (as guests)  and    part of  the national heritage  who are briefly fated dancing with the stars   between the  ages of 39 and 46  then  so long in the  tooth and the gauze  shot    and no longer   middle England man desirable  are replaced slowly but  all about  Eve obliviously by a  younger  model. 

 

 

The Minoans  of Crete or Kekassoi as they are now  more accurately  termed    retained   much of their original Neolithic  beliefs   with the  outsider liminal    cave of the  Kal mother   and the  green yellow  mother  of   agricultural votive offerings

A  shorthand in our modern  world  for Atlanteans   the   Kerkassoi      society  based on  agricultural  retaining its  great mothers but also   seaborne  trade  and  production   maintaining  a   belief system of three  levels of    a universal  she male  absolute overlapping  existence  Sky, Earth,  Sea  in which    the  symbols of the  faith  were meaningless   and ordinary to outsiders  not  believers  hence the  pretty flower paintings  of knossos   such as  the   seasonal    solar  symbols  butterfly,  crocus, snake, bull   and  colours  dark blue, bright blue, blue black,  red black, yellow

 

If  aspects of  the  kerkassoi  are  of Neolithic   origins  then   the sun  image  should be that     of  a  horse headed,  snake haired,  butterfly winged,  lion footed  goddess  standing on a bull holding aloft  a  goat  bearing  the sun disc ----  it's turtles all the way down with that type of  iconography

 but given their  sailing and navigating  expertise I believe the Kerkassoi had a more realistic sun in motion   against  unchanging sky   using bearings winds  and  stars  over   landmarks  like   Guy  Murchie 's  recollection  of   the  star compass used in Arabia  which they expressed in  seeming  unconnected religious  symbols 

 

As  sailors   the   Kerkassoi   seemed to lack  recognisable  sea deities  and as  sailors   bird flight  navigation and   wind  directions would presume to be high  in their culture  and religion    but it should be remembered  the  palace  complexes  were often  burnt down abandoned  and what we see are   flowers  and  fish  Late Minoan period III  and Mykenai era  frescos  only   with what remains in archaeology of  snake goddess ( perhaps  their original cow  heads  changed for  later   poppet  female heads) 

When as   in their  true  kerkassoi  culture    religion was    Nevity of    pathways   and  ever-present  divinity  from  sun in darkness rites celebrated under the   ritual passage of the  unchanging night  sky   on an island looking out to sea..

 

 To the Kerkassoi the changing  life bearing  sea  assumed the role  of  a   Kalanash,   a  transforming Therian   outsider world where the  souls of the dead  transformed  into   the   Octopi,  Dolphins  and dog headed  sea  creatures  seen on the  vases and paintings  and    an understanding of   symbolic  Astronomy aided them in crossing  this  fearful   Kalanash  to  reach trade harbours and return