Gods always seem strange in the eyes of people who do not believe in them. Today, it’s hard for people to understand how various religions can attract others, and how they manage to draw vitality from their faith and holy texts.
If the gods of modern religions seem strange to us, what can we say about the deities of the Ancient World. Often, archaeologists dig up figurines of old gods around the world who introduce scientists into a stupor with their bizarre appearance. We invite you to get acquainted with ten deities from the distant past, who still have the power to shock, scare and even annoy people.
10
Queen of the night
The sands of the Iranian deserts gave a rich catch to archaeologists who have been excavating there for hundreds of years. Mesopotamia, located in the valleys of the two great rivers Euphrates and Tigris, is considered the place where one of the first world civilizations was born. For thousands of years, people have lived here, prayed, fought and left for another world. It is not surprising that during excavations, the soil of this region gifted archaeologists with several incredible specimens with images of strange gods.
In the early 20s of the XIX century, scientists managed to unearth a clay tablet with the figures painted on it. The age of the plaque dates back to about the 19-18th century BC. A naked woman with wings stares at you directly from the picture. Her slender legs to the bottom turn into paws with claws that wrap around two lions. Next to them is a pair of owls with oddly shaped legs. This goddess was called the "queen of the night." Now a tablet with her image is stored in the British Museum. In ancient times, it was probably a subject of worship and an object of worship. However, historians have not come to an agreement on the definition of an object drawn on a tablet. According to the most common version, this is the goddess Ishtar, who is also called Inanna. This is the main deity among the Sumerians, who is the goddess of war, love and sex.
The gloomy picture on the clay tablet was framed in three shades (black, scarlet and white), and, most likely, was a representation of God for its creators.
9
Minoan goddess with snakes
The Cretan-Minoan civilization was in its prime in the second millennium BC. The main place of the island state was the palace in Knossos, and in the city surrounding it, up to 100 thousand people lived, which for times was a huge number. At the beginning of the 20th century, the palace was found by archaeologists, it amazed with its beautiful frescoes and the complexity of construction. However, among the many finds were two strange figurines depicting a mysterious goddess.
Despite the fact that the goddess’s chest is naked, it is not her eye that is riveted, but wriggling snakes, which the deity squeezes in their hands. After the first find in Crete, many images of the goddess with snakes were found. The meaning of these figures is still under discussion. Some historians consider them homeland goddesses, while others are inclined to believe that they are closer to the ancient Greek god Dionysus. It is also worth considering the close connection of Crete with Ancient Egypt. These cultures are intertwined with customs and legends; several statues of women with snakes were later found in Egypt. Speaking of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian architecture, the most-beauty.ru website has an interesting article.
8
Venus figures
In the Paleolithic era, people who inhabited lands from Western Europe to the Siberian expanses made strange figures that resembled obese women in shape. These figures were called the "Venus of the Paleolithic". In total, more than 200 statuettes were found, whose age, according to various estimates, ranged from 8,000 to 35,000 years. Most of the figures were carved from soft rock, but some were made of ordinary or ivory. There are also clay figures, which are the earliest pieces of ceramics.
All figurines are women with rounded shapes, comically protruding belly, chest and other parts of the bodies. This prompted scientists to think that the figures are the personification of the mother. It is also assumed that ancient idols can symbolize the goddess of fertility.
In the photo: Venus found in the Bryansk region.
Perhaps the most discussed figurine is Venus of Willendorf. Her age is approximately 29,000 years. After finding the figurine, scientists thought that it symbolizes love and beauty, therefore they called it Venus, after which this name “stuck” to all such figurines.
In the photo: Venus from Hole-Fels
Although it took more than a century to study the figure, many questions remain. Why doesn't she have a face? What's on her head? Scientists can not even find the answer, what is it: a headdress or bizarrely braided hair.
7
Human
The earliest sculpture made by man is considered an incomprehensible creature with the body of a man and the head of a lion. The first calculations showed that the figure was at least 32,000 years old, it was later determined that it was worth talking about 40 thousand years. It is worth noting that the lion's head depicted on the figurine belongs to a long-extinct species of predator. Despite all attempts to determine the value of the figure, to date, scientists have not advanced a single step in the answer to this question.
Perhaps to solve the mystery it is worth turning to other cultures of antiquity. For many nationalities, such a "symbiosis" of the animal and man designated a kind of intermediate deity between the world of gods and people. It is also known that Mankolev was found inside a deep cave, which was not suitable for housing. Most likely, she served for religious rituals. An amazing find was made in the late 30s of the XX century, members of the SS who conducted excavations to confirm the theory of Aryan superiority.
6
Therianthropic drawings in caves
At the beginning of the 20th century, three brothers from France made an outstanding discovery, a cave that was decorated with hundreds of animal drawings that were painted about 14 thousand years ago. One of the bones depicted a cricket whose detail was so precise that it was possible to study the insect from the drawing. This drawing is considered the first image of an insect to be found by humans.
Researchers were also attracted by the figure printed on the wall of the cave. It was a combination of man and animal. The human body was completed by a head with horns and deer ears applied to it. Graffiti was located at a depth of 5 meters underground. Only this picture, of all those found in the cave, was painted black. This image of people and animals was called therianthropy, its traces were found in many caves around the planet. It is still not clear what such “hybrids” symbolize, however, the spread of these creatures around the world suggests the connection of ancient civilizations.
5
Taurt
In the mythology of ancient Egypt, there are many deities included in the higher pantheon, whose appearance includes both human and animal traits. Everyone knows the goddess Bastet with the head of a cat, Anubis with the head of a jackal and Horus with the head of a falcon. But the Egyptians did not always have enough combination of only two species, then they united several animals into one deity. It comes from Taurt or Beret, the goddess portrayed as a pregnant creature. It was believed that it not only promotes successful childbirth, but also protects women during pregnancy and protects newborns. Despite the fact that Taurt moved upright on two limbs, her legs were like cat's paws, her body and head were taken from a hippopotamus, and a crocodile ridge ran along her back.
The Egyptians believed that the terrifying sight of Taurt was able to scare away evil spirits from people's homes. Of particular importance was the appearance of a hippopotamus, as their females furiously protect their cubs. Many mothers placed Taurt figures near cribs to protect them from the forces of evil. Since the percentage of failed births in the Ancient World was unusually high, admiration for Taourt spread far beyond Egypt. Amulets in the form of this “mutant” were found by archaeologists throughout the Middle East.
4
Miklantecutli
The terrible reputation of the Aztec gods is due to their bloodthirstiness. Perhaps, in no mythology of the world, gods do not require as many human sacrifices as the Aztecs. After all, many of their deities are simply scary. The most creepy is the god of the underworld Miktlantekutli. He is always in Miktle, the underworld, governing all the dead Aztecs. The constant companions of the deity were no less terrible than he animals: a bat, an owl and a spider. Miktlantekutli statuettes found by archaeologists today can cause horror. A naked skull with protruding teeth or a shrunken head of a dead man, a bloodied body is an attractive sight, isn't it? Your eyes glare at you with a gaze that can look into the very soul, as well as sending it to the kingdom of the dead.
The first Miktlantekutli worship temple was found about 5 years ago. Historians did not doubt for a second the purpose of this deity - human skulls were scattered throughout the temple, and their mouth, like the image of the god of the dead, was smeared with scarlet paint, symbolizing blood.
3
Celtic heads
Before the heyday of the Roman Empire, the Celtic tribes, which were a fairly developed civilization with a complex system of society, were in charge of Europe. Historians have been able to understand most of their cultural structure through the study of religious rituals. One of these rituals was an offering to the gods left in the ponds. Archaeologists, combing the rivers, found a lot of gold jewelry, household items, weapons and several strange figures of human heads. As for the latest finds, they were found throughout the Old World, not only in springs and rivers, but also in mounds and even Christian churches.
One of the most famous and mysterious Celtic heads was found in the Irish settlement of Corlek Hill. Instead of the usual figure with one face, three are cut out at once in this one. They are turned in different directions, and their faces are similar to each other. Because of the bulging eyes, historians suggest that this is a Celtic all-seeing god, looking at people, wherever they are.
2
Shiutecutli mask
Among the Aztec gods, one of the most revered and ancient is the god of fire and the volcanoes of Shiutecutli. He has many incarnations and names, among which the Turquoise Lord. This is probably why people used turquoise to portray this deity. In one of the museums of Great Britain, a strange mask is stored, which, according to historians, personifies Siutecutli. It is made of wood, and the outer layer is covered with small pieces of turquoise. Creepy mother-of-pearl eyes glare at the visitors, and his mouth is frozen in a twisted smile, revealing teeth from shells.
The mask was supposedly worn by people, as indicated by the holes on the sides. It could be worn by Aztec priests, acting out scenes from myths. It is also believed that she relied on people sacrificed to God. In favor of this hypothesis, there is a lot of evidence of similar sacrifices to other Aztec gods.
Most likely, the mask was forcefully taken from the indigenous population by the famous conquistador Hernan Cortes, who handed it as a gift to the Spanish monarch.
1
Shigir idol
Tell me, well, who voluntarily climb into the swamp? Of course, gold miners and archaeologists! Gold mining near Yekaterinburg at the end of the 19th century brought mankind a real bar, but not of gold. It is a wooden statue found by gold diggers in peat marshes. You will be surprised to say that wood is prone to decay. This is so, but not in peatlands, whose chemical structure “mummifies” the tree, preserving it in its original form for millennia.
When archaeologists got down to business and gathered all the fragments of the sculpture together, they received an idol whose height exceeded 5 meters. All parts of the tree were neatly crafted, and at the very top of the sculpture was a head with human features. His eyes and mouth were cut open in his head, ajar in a rounded shape. Researchers believe that the sculpture was carved in the IX millennium BC, making it the most ancient wood sculpture that is known to mankind.
If you look closely, you can see many carved faces throughout the statue, the significance of which is still under discussion. According to one historian, a zigzag neckline on a sculpture may signal a warning for those wishing to approach it. Now the goal of historians is to get more information about the peoples who inhabited the find area.
Posted by: gunner1886