La Parisienne, also known as the Minoan Lady, is part of the Camp Stool Fresco, which was probably painted on the wall of the Sanctuary Hall on the Piano Nobile at the palace of

Knossos Knossos (; , ; Linear B: ''Ko-no-so'') is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Crete. The site was a major centre of the Minoan civilization and is known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. It is located on th ...

. The sacral knot worn at the back of the neck seems to indicate that she is a priestess or even a goddess. The archaeological research in

Minoan palaces Minoan palaces were massive building complexes built on Crete during the Bronze Age. They are often considered emblematic of the Minoan civilization and are modern tourist destinations. Archaeologists generally recognize five structures as palac ...

, cemeteries and settlements has brought to light a multitude of objects related to beautification.

Edmond Pottier Edmond François Paul Pottier (13 August 1855, Saarbrücken – 4 July 1934, Paris) was an art historian and archaeologist who was instrumental in establishing the Corpus vasorum antiquorum. He was a pioneering scholar in the study of Pottery of A ...

gave her the name as he felt she resembled a contemporary woman from

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It seems that there were beautification areas in the palaces of

Zakros Zakros ( also Zakro or Kato Zakro) is a Minoan archaeological site on the eastern coast of Crete in Lasithi, Greece. It is regarded as one of the six Minoan palaces, and its protected harbor and strategic location made it an important commercial ...

and

Pylos Pylos (, ; ), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of ...

. These beauty objects were used during the whole Aegean Bronze Age. By using these objects, the Minoan ladies highlighted the red lips and the white of the face. In the

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

of the Parisienne, the use of the black colour for emphasizing the form of the eyes and red for the lips can clearly be seen. It dates to the Final Palatial Period, 1450–1350/1300 B.C., and is currently in the

Heraklion Archaeological Museum The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is a museum located in Heraklion on Crete. It is one of the largest museums in Greece, and the best in the world for Minoan art, as it contains by far the most important and complete collection of artefacts of t ...

Bibliography

*A. Evans, The Palace of Minos at Knossos III repr. New York 1964 *A. Papaefthymiou-Papanthimou Utensils and toiletries of the Cretan-Mycenaean Age, Thessaloniki 1979 *Poursat, J.C., Les Ivoires myceniens, Paris 1977 *Palmer L, The Interpretation of Mycenaean Greek Texts, Oxford 1963.

External links

"Minoan woman or goddess from the palace of Knossos (“La Parisienne”)"
by Senta German,

Khan Academy Khan Academy is an American non-profit educational organization created in 2006 by Sal Khan. Its goal is to create a set of online tools that help educate students. The organization produces short video lessons. Its website also includes suppl ...

Greek thesaurus - Minoan civilizationKathimerini newspaper - 7 daysHerakleion Archaeological Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parisienne 15th-century BC works 14th-century BC works Minoan frescos Heraklion Archaeological Museum Knossos Portraits of women Archaeological discoveries in Crete

See also

Bibliography

External links