During his excavations of the Minoan civilization in Crete, amateur archaeologist Arthur Evans discovered figurines which he deemed “snake goddesses.” These artifacts, along with the many others Evans discovered, became highly desired by museums around the world. A small forgery ring took notice of this demand and developed on the Greek island, creating and selling fake versions of the figurines to museums around the world. To this day, these objects remain contested. It is unclear which, if any, are real, and whether or not Evans was aware of the forgeries taking place at his excavation site. Like many other contested archaeological artifacts, however, many of these objects remain on display and are labeled as though they are indisputably authentic.
By Whitney White
Sources:
Chi, Jennifer Y., ed. Restoring the Minoans: Elizabeth Price and Sir Arthur Evans. New York: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, 2017.
Lapatin, Kenneth. Mysteries of the Snake Goddess: Art, Desire, and the Forging of History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002.