Classical Wisdom Litterae - October 2020

39 Plato. etching by D. Cunego, 1783 XXXIX believed to depict a diver as a metaphor for the transition f rom life to death. If the f rescoes had a similar meaning in their particular locations at Knossos, that meaning has been covered by Evans’ restorations.) EVANS’ DISCOVERIES Yet we do not wish to discount the strides Evans did contribute to understanding the culture known as the Minoans. One of the best iterations of his successes lies in his theory of bull-worship. This hypothesis was based on the numerous depictions of bull-leaping and prominent displays of the “Horns of Consecration” (also named by Evans). Both before and during his tenure on Crete, Evans investigated the significance of the bull alongside images of a double-axe, the mystery of each leading him from Oxford to Crete in search of their original cultures in the first place. (In fact it is believed that finding the double- axe on Knossos convinced Evans that the site was worth purchasing and exploring.) Evan s con t i nued h i s i nve s t i ga t i on s throughout his time on Crete, and he is credited with the preliminary understanding Crossing the Hellespont. Ink and watercolor to illustrate Xerxes The oft-criticized reconstructed red ‘Minoan’ columns at Palace of Knossos