The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is home to one of the most extensive exhibitions of ancient Greek art and artifacts: The Myths and Legends of Crete. With a wide range of objects from statues and Pottery, to Weapons and coins, This exhibition provides an extremely detailed and interesting look into the ancient Greek civilization of the Minoans.

This exhibition spans throughout four gallery rooms filled with all of the unearthed findings of the ancient Minoan Civilization. Lit up and incased glass shelves fill the perimeter of the rooms showcasing the intricate art work that represent the lives of many people. More statues and large antiques fill the rest of the space allowing for an immersive experience. The two objects that we chose to focus on attracted us with their interesting appearances and connection to Greek Mythology.

Sir Arthur Evans was the British Archaeologist who was a large driving force in the excavation of the palace and was extremely convinced that the complexity of the design of the palace was the Labyrinth from Greek mythology. The Myth tells us that King Minos commissioned a labyrinth to be built in order to trap and imprison the Minotaur, a creature who has the head of a bull and the body of a man. Although this may not be based in fact it is interesting to consider when analyzing some of the pieces within the collection.

The first piece of the collection we decided to focus on was the large cup depicting Theseus and the Minotaur. As the myth goes, Theseus defeated the Minotaur after it was trapped within the labyrinth. The story of their fight is painted on the surface of the cup and the struggle between the two is evident through the animation of their intertwined bodies. The second object, the bulls head rhyton, continues the theme of mythology and cultural tradition within the Minoan Civilization.

The varying mediums and items within the collection allow for a deeper understanding of specific details of their daily life from a range of years within the Bronze Age of Crete. This collection offers a direct view into the traditions and values of the Minoans.

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Cartwright, Mark. “Minoan Civilization.” World History Encyclopedia, 29 Mar. 2018, http://www.worldhistory.org/Minoan_Civilization/ .

Evans, Arthur. The Palace of Minos: A Comparative Account of the Successive Stages of the Early Cretan Civilization as Illustrated by the Discoveries at Knossos. Macmillan and Co., 1928, pp. 527–38, doi.org/10.11588/diglit.810. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

Folsom, Robert Slade. Attic Red-Figured Pottery. Noyes Data Corporation/Noyes Publications, 1976.

German, Senta. “Bull’s Head Rhyton.” Smarthistory.org, 16 Aug. 2018, smarthistory.org/bulls-head-rhyton/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

Heraklion Archaeological Museum. “Bull’s-Head Rhyton – Heraklion Archaeological Museum.” Www.heraklionmuseum.gr, http://www.heraklionmuseum.gr/en/exhibit/bulls-head-rhyton/.

“Knossos History – Knossos.” KNOSSOS, 11 Feb. 2023, knossos-palace.gr/knossos-history/.

“LABYRINTH EXHIBITION – PRESS RELEASE.” Ashmolean.org, 2023, http://www.ashmolean.org/press/labyrinth-knossos-myth-and-reality-press-release. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

Martinko, Whitney. “How Historic Preservation Shaped the Early United States.” Smithsonian Magazine, interview by Karin Wulf, 14 May 2020, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-historic-preservation-shaped-early-united-states-180974871/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

McInerney, Jeremy. “Bulls and Bull-leaping in the Minoan World.” Expedition Magazine 53, no. 3 (December, 2011): -. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/bulls-and-bull-leaping-in-the-minoan-world/

“MYTHS and LEGENDS of CRETE.” Ashmolean.org, 2024, http://www.ashmolean.org/collections/myths-and-legends-of-crete. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

Replica Bull’s Head Rhyton. Plaster, 1901, collections.ashmolean.org/object/584830. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

“Sir Arthur Evans | British Archaeologist.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, http://www.britannica.com/biography/Arthur-Evans.

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Throughout my childhood I was always reminded of the importance of family. I know that this importance is not stressed for everyone and that many people are not given families that care to uphold familial relationships, but for as long as I can remember family came first. This was especially prevalent on my Moms side of the family. As a child I was always told stories of my Nan who passed just a few months before I was born. My Moms Mother, Rosemary Catherine who I am named after, was a bright and loving soul. I’ve always been told that I am just like her and that she is where I get my artistic side from. I can remember being a small child and looking through the tons of  paintings and jewelry of hers that my aunt had kept all these years. As a kid these items always gave me such comfort, they tied me to someone I had never met but made me feel like I’d always known her. In the last few years my family decided to go through all of her old jewelry that my aunt wasn’t doing anything with. When I saw one of her old Claddagh rings I felt overwhelmingly drawn to it and knew I would love to keep it. 

This is a real 14k gold Claddagh ring that was my Nans. It is too small for me to wear, probably a size 5 or 6 and has a nice thin band stretched around the back of it. The hands of the ring come toward the front and surround the heart in the center. There are gaps on either side of the heart, separating the hands from it and making the design clear. The heart is topped with three connected protrusions that are rounded at the top resembling a crown. The ring to the left of it was one of her rings as well and is believed to also be a Claddagh but the engraved design has become so faint over the years that it is hard to say exactly what it is. Both rings are clearly not brand new and covered with years of scratches and dings that show their age. Although the exact year that my Nan got the rings is unknown, my mother says that she remembered them from her childhood. The many years that my Nan wore these rings are written all over their surfaces and serve as a reminder of the life she once lived. 

Claddagh rings were first created in the fishing Village of Claddagh in Galway, Ireland. The original Claddagh ring was created by famous Irish goldsmith Richard Joyce. The story behind it is that he was trained as a goldsmith after being captured by pirates and sold as a slave. He created this ring for the woman that he loved with each aspect of the ring representing something different. The heart at the center represents love, the hands surrounding it represents friendship and the crown on top represents royalty. The way a Claddagh ring is worn is telling of your status of love; it was originally worn with the heart facing toward yourself if you were married and away if you were not. Throughout the years many different ways of wearing the Claddagh have been developed and each positioning of the ring has a different meaning. These rings have served as a symbol of love and friendship and are still worn amongst many Irish people to this day. 

My Nan’s mother grew up in County Mayo, Ireland which is not too far from where Claddagh rings originated. She came to the United States in the early 1900’s and had my Nan in 1929. I still have family that live in Ireland, much of whom I have yet to meet. Every time I wear this ring I think of my Irish family and heritage as well as my Nan who I unfortunately never got the pleasure of knowing. I think it is really neat to possess an object that represents different aspects of my life and acts as a cultural grounding/reminder of the generations before me.