Drunk on Honey

Essay | Women's Altered States & Prophetic Arts in Bronze Age Greece

Fresco found in the “West Wing” of Knossos showing standing and seated female figures raising cups and kylikes. Archaeologist Arthur Evans named the female figure on the top right “La Parisienne” due to her lighter complexion, large eyes and vivid make-up. The panel’s description suggests that her larger size and the “sacral knot” bunched up behind her indicate that she was probably a leading priestess. Knossos, 1450-1350/1300 BC, Heraklion Archaeological Museum.

This Sunday’s piece is part of my research on the bee priestesses of pre-Hellenic Greece and is for paid subscribers - a special thanks to you for being here and for supporting my independent research. This is a section from my dissertation The Bee Cult in Greek Myth and Ancient History.