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The Stigma- Skirted Priestess of Ayia Triada
The sarcophagus of Ayia Triada, which dates to about 1450– 1340 bce, is a magnificent
painted coffin found in a minor tomb in a settlement not far from Phaistos. The plaster-
covered limestone structure was painted on all sides with funerary frescoes in the Egyptian
style. From the left of one side of the sarcophagus a procession of women approaches a
sacrificed bull trussed on a table. Next to the bull on the right, a priestess wearing a pat-
terned skirt places a bowl of fruit on the altar. A libation vessel seems to hover over the
bowl, but may be resting on a support that is no longer visible (Figure 6.18A). According
to J. A. Sakellarakis, former Director of the Herakleion Museum, the altar is located “near
the fence around the sacred tree, which is crowned with sacred horns, and in front of a tall
column supporting a double axe.”^55 The priestess is clearly associated with the sacred tree.
To our knowledge, the significance of the curious psi- shaped forms on the priestess’s
skirt has not yet been addressed. The Greek letter psi (ψ) had not been invented in the
fifteenth century bce, so we must look to earlier sources for the meaning of this particu-
lar symbol. Poseidon’s trident is sometimes cited as the origin for the letter psi, but this
particular symbol of Poseidon, like the Greek alphabet itself, was not introduced until
the Archaic Period. We propose that the psi- like figures were meant to indicate saffron
stigmas, an example of which is shown in Figure 6.18B. If this interpretation is correct, itFigure 6.17 Persephone and Hades in the Underworld (~470 bce), by Greek colonists in
southern Italy.
From Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, Museo Nazionale, Italy.