Children in Antiquity by Lesley A. Beaumont;Matthew Dillon;Nicola Harrington;

Author:Lesley A. Beaumont;Matthew Dillon;Nicola Harrington;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Unlimited)
Published: 2020-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Offering fish and incense in the West House at Akrotiri

Another public festival was chosen by the owner of the West House at Akrotiri, Thera, to shape an appropriate framework for ritual activities located in Room 5 of this building (cf. Marinatos 1984: 34–61; Doumas 1999: 45–85). The miniature scenes in the upper zone of the walls show a marine festival, with a procession of lavishly decorated ships arriving at a Minoan town. Large-sized representations in the vertical panels below complement the religious nature of the event. Two adolescent Fisherboys present strings of common dolphinfish, and since this species is generally difficult to catch, it has been argued that the autumnal fishing of dolphinfish was a feat to be accomplished by Theran male adolescents in honour of a divinity (Papageorgiou 2000: 964–966; cf. Marinatos 1993: 216–217; see also this volume, Fig. 2.2h).

On the right-hand jamb of the door leading into Room 5, the girl known as the Young Priestess was depicted. She carries an incense burner and places threads on it, thus making an offering of incense (Doumas 1999: 56, fig. 24 Papageorgiou 2000: 959–964). The locks of childhood on the otherwise shaved head designate her as an age-mate of the Girl with the Veil from building Xeste 3, with whom she also shares a saffron-yellow garment as the major element of her ceremonial dress. The offering of incense may have been another way of pleasing the Theran goddess with saffron, and it is certainly no coincidence that this religious duty was fulfilled by the girls of Theran families.

The offerings of both incense and dolphinfish strengthen the efficacy of the religious rituals performed in Room 5. The fact that the children and adolescents were entrusted with making the offerings confirms the importance allocated to them in fulfilling religious duties in Theran society (cf. Papageorgiou 2000).

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