The Sacral Knot and Its Iconographic Use

Abstract

The sacral knot is one of the most discussed symbols of Minoan art. This study focuses on its iconographic use throughout time and tries to find a way to differentiate it from other similar symbols. The first examples of the symbol are traced back to MM II while the last ones appear in LM IIIA. It occurs on various kinds of material like ivory, faience and frescoes, but mainly on seals and sealings. In glyptic it goes through a chronological evolution which can be divided into four stages.

Keywords

• sacral knot
• minoan
• art
• religion
• iconography
• glyptic
• ivory
• faience