Evans, Arthur J.: The Palace of Minos: a comparative account of the successive stages of the early Cretan civilization as illustred by the discoveries at Knossos (Band 4,1): Emergence of outer western enceinte, with new illustrations, artistic and religious, of the Middle Minoan Phase (London, 1935)

J 96. Altars and Ritual of the Knossian Goddess: House
and Chapel or the ' High Priest '.

Small Altar block with Sacral Horns and Double Axes in relief;
Shafts of Axes added in plaster; Predecessor of Classical A Itars ; Discovery
of Houses South, of the ' Caravanserai' ; Open stefway ; The ' High Priest's
House'; Neighbouring paved Minoan Street; Urban region packed with
large Mansions—House remains traced tinder Modern high-road; Paved
roadway leading to Temple Tomb; OtUer hall of ' High Priest's Chapel'
with ' Choir Stalls'; Middle Compartment containing gypsum cists ; Chancel
and inner shrine or adyton / Comparisons with ' House of the Chancel
Screen' and ' Royal Villa '; Private and Sacrificial entrances to adyton ;
A Itar with incurved sides ; Drain for escape of blood of sacrifice; Class of
Altars or sacral bases with incurved sides; Pyramidal gypsum stand—for
base of Double Axe stand; A pair of these set within the adyton, beside
the A Itar; Double Axe bases in West Quarter of Palace; Example from
Mycenae.

Over and above the curious revelations as to the early Snake cult at
Knossos described in the preceding Sections, the recent researches on the
site have been fertile in results illustrative of the ritual and other arrange-
ments connected with the worship of the Minoan Goddess.

Small

altar

block

with

Sacral

Horns

and

Double

Axes.

Shafts
of Axes
added tr
plaster.

Discovery of Small Limestone Altar with Religious Symbols.

About thirty-three metres North-West from the Palace angle on that
side, near the border of the branch of the paved Minoan way that here
ascends above the Theatral Area, there was brought out from a superficial
deposit, evidently due to drift from the slope above, the small limestone altar
block, Fig. 154, presenting on each face reliefs of Double Axes rising from
oblong stands, while below, separated from their bases by a small interval,
appear the ' Sacral Horns'of Minoan cult. On the summit is a shallow
sunken basin, square in shape and flat bottomed.

A remarkable feature with regard to the Double Axes is that the
shafts are wanting. That they were originally clearly defined is obvious,
and the necessary conclusion is that they were executed in coloured plaster