In the so-called "temple workshop" in Nossas, archaeologists found some vessels with straight handles and shell-shaped plates with reliefs on the edges, which were arranged in a figure of eight. A dining table made of soapstone and a spherical stone hammer made of breccia with two flanges were also found here. The beautiful partition is painted with relief paintings of ewes and young goats, ewes and calves, which are exquisite works made by ancient craftsmen. Archaeologists have also encountered sacrifices made into clothes and belts, and clothes are often decorated with patterns of passion flowers.
However, the pottery figurines known as "snake gods" may be Minos' most precious cultural relics. Minoan people don't build temples, they obviously hold religious ceremonies on open-air altars. Arthur Evans found three ceramic statues of "snake god" in the underground chamber of a house in the palace on 1903.
Of these three terracotta figures, only one remains intact, with a height of 34 cm. It was a woman, wearing a striped skirt embroidered with lace and symbolically drawing a picture. The skirt of the "Goddess" pottery figurine is covered with a "Polish apron", and its oval part covers the front and back parts of the skirt. The apron is woven into intermittent ripple patterns, and the front is decorated with large white spots. The "Goddess" terracotta figures are tied with a wide and soft cloth belt at the waist and a complicated big knot on the front.
The expression of the "goddess" pottery figurines is very nervous. It jerked an arm forward, opened its eyes wide and stared intently at the front.
This goddess is a priestess. She has conquered snakes by witchcraft, as evidenced by the two snakes around her waist. One snake put its little head on the brim of the priestess's high hat, and the other snake twisted on her apron, wrapped around her hips, with her head in her right hand and her tail in her left hand.
When digging in Crete, the best servants unearthed were all made of clay. Minoan people knew this material because they got this clay from Egypt as early as 3000 BC. Later, they found local clay on this island.
Northas established the earliest pottery "factory" in Europe, and the works of art it produced were first used to worship the court. These three painted pottery figurines were produced in the workshop of this factory. Among them, the second piece is a real ceramic masterpiece.
The second "snake god" pottery figurine is exquisite and delicate. It "wears" a light yellow apron with dark articles on it, and the skirt is inlaid with many ruffles, which are patterns composed of brown blocks with brown stripes between light yellow.
"Goddess" bent her elbow, raised her arms forward and held a small yellow snake with black stripes in each hand. The goddess' face is young and gentle, and her black eyes are shining. It is wearing a purple-brown top hat, surrounded by a snake and a wild cat with flowers on its corolla. The hair on the "Goddess" forehead was shaved into Liu Haier, and the back of her head was covered with curly hair.
The goddess holds the snake head in her right hand and the tail of another snake in her left hand. The tail of the third snake coiled on the top hat hangs down and gets entangled with the snake whose head is at the waist of the goddess and whose tail is in her ear. Scholars speculate that the "Goddess" terracotta figures show the scene where she shakes the snake and calmly performs religious dances.