I’ve written before about the Griffin Warrior tomb, a fabulous unrobbed Mycenaean find at Pylos. But I can’t resist sharing this pleasant write up and photos in National Geographic. The “Griffin Warrior” tomb stands out as one of the great finds of this generation.
Griffins are my favorite mythical beast. So, a 4th century BCE Scythian archaeological find of silver griffins perched around divinities caught my attention.
Clearly, I’m a fan of the delightful hybrid creatures of the ancient Near East. Griffins appear (part lion, part eagle) in my fiction. I often point out the prevalence of griffins across the Mediterranean and Near East as portrayed on the architecture, seals, and other forms of art. I sometimes say in jest that given how often they are depicted, maybe they really lived on earth at some point.
But seriously, why are there so many hybrid creatures across the many cultures of the ancient world? Why do many versions of Egyptian gods have human bodies and animal heads, for example? I have wondered.
An interesting article offers an intriguing theory. Maybe I buy it, maybe not–but I’m having fun.
Historical author Laura Gill guest posts about the surprising connections between Minoan Crete and Anatolia.
