Unearthing the past to understand it bit by bit, a team at the University of Cincinnati is diving into the Bronze Age using ancient clay and 21st-century technology. Assistant Professor Florence Gaignerot-Driessen is spearheading an archaeological venture at the Greek site of Anavlochos, and her work is revealing cultural artifacts that are more than mere remnants—they're glimpses into antiquity's embrace of the divine feminine.
The relics in question, dubbed "the ladies of Anavlochos," were discovered nestled in Cretan bedrock; they bear the forms of women, some even holding the enigmatic attributes of mythological creatures like the sphinx, according to a report by the Greek Reporter. These clay figures, decked in traditional attire of polos hats and draped epiblemas, are ancient, yet through the interdisciplinary effort of Gaignerot-Driessen's team, and the UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning's Ceramics Lab and Rapid Prototyping Center, they are being reborn using 3D-printed resin to craft new models and molds.
But why were these figurines tucked away in the rocky embrace of Anavlochos? The pieces' fragmentation poses a question as to their treatment: Were they lovingly offered or discarded, a conundrum that Gaignerot-Driessen intends to explore with UC students on a field trip to Crete—they'll attempt to recreate the artifacts using local clay, mimicking ancient techniques, Gaignerot-Driessen told the Greek Reporter.
Pursuing knowledge in this manner is a ritual of its own, a seeking of truth through the tangible, and those involved are not just looking back in time. Still, they are fashioning a bridge made of earth and insight connecting us to those who lived, worshipped, and perhaps loved on the island we now know as Crete; experimenting with the past, to understand the ancient mindset and spirituality, Gaignerot-Driessen is guiding her students in a hands-on quest for understanding, as described in an interview with the Greek Reporter.
