deity. The faience statue stands 1' 11/2" tall and is a figure in the round. She wears the typical and elaborate Minoan dress, which exposes her breasts. The exposed breast may suggest that the statue represents a fertility image whom where usually considered divinities. The Snake Goddess is shown with her arms stretched and holding a snake in each hand. This along with the feline that is found in her head represents her control over nature. Like the Venus of Willendorf the statue may not represent a particular woman and may have been created to symbolize fertility. Similar to the previous statues, the Snake Goddess portrays female nudity; nevertheless it is shown in a more distinct way than the previous sculptures. The Aphrodite of Knidos, whose original copy was lost, is considered the first great female nude statue. Until the 4th century BC no female goddess had been depicted completely naked. The Goddess created in about 350 BC was sculpted out of marble. This made the statue look more human like and softer than any material available. The Greeks humanized their gods by showing them engage in everyday activities. In this case the goddess is shown getting ready to take a bath. The statue, which modestly shields her pubic region with her right hand, has her weight on her right foot. Her shoulders lean to the left and her hip to the right, creating balance within the statue. Even though the statue is naked it did not come across as erotic or insulting to the Greek society of the time but rather as sensuous. This portrayal of female nudity was ground breaking for its time, and established a new and sensuous way of depicting women, More importantly it became the ideal and thousands of copies were created from the original Aphrodite of Knidos.Through the centuries each culture has had its own interpretation of what the human body should represent. Many cultures were influenced by those that preceded them and th...
