Miranda Santana

This artifact is an argumentative paper written for Art History Survey 1(ART-114). The assignment was to research a piece of prehistoric art work and make a case based on research about the purpose of origin of that art work. For my paper I chose to research the Minoan Snake Goddess statues. In doing so I found that there was a case to be made in favor of the origin of the statues being Syrian, instead of Minoan, and decided to make this the focus of my paper.

 

My first goal was to make a strong case for how the origin of the statues was questionable. In my first paragraph I point out the dubious nature of the discovery and restoration of the statues, particularly the creative liberties taken by the archeologist and the lack of documentation. I then went into the origin of the techniques and materials used, and how they do not align with that of the culture that the statues were assumed to be from. As my final point I referenced research that pointed out the marked similarities between the Snake Goddess' attire and that of those in Syrian art. Overall, I feel that I built a strong case in favor of the origin of the statues potentially being Syrian.

​

My second goal was to use academic and reputable sources. My sources consist exclusively of educational and academic articles and journals focused on the topic of the restorations of the Snake Goddess statues. All of the sources were written and created by professionals in the fields of art history and/or archeology. Considering the obscurity of the topic, I feel that I found strong resources for creating my argument.

 

Writing this paper was a challenge due to how specific the subject was. Because the statues date back to the bronze age, there is only so much that professionals can be certain of regarding their nature and origin. However, I feel that I constructed a strong argument using credible sources in favor of the origin of the statues being more likely to be Syrian.