About
Across the ancient world, one figure appears again and again. A woman who calls, tames, protects, and commands the creatures beside her. Archaeologists often call her the Mistress of Animals. For six weeks we will follow her trail from the Neolithic and Bronze Age through the Hellenic world and into later traditions. We will ask how and why this figure emerges, how her symbols shift, and how she eventually becomes central to the figure we know as Artemis. This live online course runs from February 15 to March 22, six consecutive Sundays, 12:00 to 2:00 pm. EST. Each session brings together scholarship, myth, and material culture. You will see artifacts that are not commonly circulated online, drawn from my fieldwork in museums and archaeological sites across Greece and the Mediterranean. Together we will study figurines, sealings, reliefs, and sanctuaries that shaped the ancient understanding of divine control over the natural world. There will be two ways to join. A standard enrolment for those who attend live, and a recording option for those who prefer to learn at their own pace.
You can also join this program via the mobile app. Go to the app
Overview
- Week 1 – Paleolithic Foundations
- Week 2 – Neolithic Anatolia and the seated “Great Mother”
- Week 3 – Bronze Age Near East and Iran
- Week 4 – Aegean and early Greek Potnia Theron
- Week 5 – Etruscan and Italic Potnia Theron