Short Summary

'Flight of the Goddess' covers a much-needed topic within archaeology and art history - of the period in which Goddess cults spread into the early Greek Archaic and Mediterranean world. 

The book incorporates the era known as the 'Orientalizing period' in art, which has not been well-covered within literature. It is an era of intensified trade and cultural exchange within the Mediterranean, when the purple-pigment-dealing Phoenicians sailed the Mediterranean, alongside numerous other cultural groups. 

The Goddesses sanctuaries provided places of devotion and shared worship of the feminine divine. Amongst the images which entered the visual vocabulary (alongside the Phoenician alphabet) was symbols long held sacred and in association to ancient Goddesses. These include the flower rosette and star of Venus (associated with Inanna - Ishtar), the bivalve shell - used for storing and transporting cosmetic pigment known as far back as the Tombs of Ur, and the 'holy horn / boat of heaven'.  

The period saw not only new styles of art, but also the introduction of drinking practices and rich mythologies; ideas which journeyed onto islands and new lands, woven amongst imagery of shells, flower rosettes, winged women, sirens, and women-in-the-window linked to Goddess cults. With incense wafting, bejewelled thrones, and sacred necklaces, the narrative will interweave passages of the famous female poet, Sappho of Lesbos, and the mythology of the Sirens in flowery meadows (al)luring men with their song and promised knowledge of all things, and Homerian Odes to the Goddess, as well as even more ancient cuneiform hymns and rituals from Mesopotamia and Assyria.   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - EMMA LOUISE WESTON

I hold a Masters in Comparative Art and Archaeology degree from University College London, and a Bachelors degree in Art History and Theory from the University of Otago. Alongside my majors, I have also studied across Classical Studies, Religious Studies, Architecture and Ancient Art. 

Completing the 'Flight of the Goddess'

Thank you so much for reading this and for your interest. 

I am on the last leg required to complete my book on 'Flight of the Goddess'. Having done all the background reading and sourcing all the books and articles, what I now need is to physically go to Cyprus where much of the primary collection of archaeology and figurines is located. There I will meet with museum curators, uncover information on find sites of particular objects and their context within Goddess temples, and finish off writing the book.

My plan is to visit Cyprus in the off-season in the late Winter / early Spring, leaving around the beginning of March.

The Impact

The book will be an elegant and accessibly written format, which traces a long duration journey of the Goddess and her symbols. From Inanna to Ishtar to Astarte and other deities, through to the arrival of Aphrodite into the Greek pantheon, and her Roman counter-part, Venus, with cross-overs of many other Goddesses along the way. 

The book will be of relevance to scholars and ordinary folk, providing a lively and delicious feast of images and mythologies, which set the Goddess once again in full flight. As always, my book will be meticulously referenced for those wanting to undertake further reading on any point raised. 

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 'Lekythos of the Goddess Aphrodite' c350 BCE

I have studied broadly, across Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean and Classical world, and specialize in ancient art and iconography. I do not know of any book which has traced the images, rituals and hymns of the Goddess in this manner and duration. In my characteristic style, I will be interweaving images, ancient cuneiform hymns and papyrus poetry written by poets to the Goddess, presenting sacred jewelry, and showing how shells which held cosmetic came to be associated with the Goddess as she arrived on the island of Cyprus. And how the Sirens of mythology combined aspects of temple architecture, images of winged Goddesses and devotion and prayer expressed in music and hymns.

'Flight of the Goddess' will not only be a valuable book to archaeology and Classical Studies pupils seeking to understand the motifs and material culture of the era, but will also be a wonderful book generally for people to read. A sensory tale of sea journeys, temples, jewelry and beauty, it will be resplendent with colour illustrations of well-known and rare artifacts relating to the movement of the Goddess. Most importantly, it will be written and presented in a way that is accessible to all.    

Image of Aphrodite Anadyomene on a wall fresco from Pompeii (before 79 CE) 

Other Ways You Can Help

- Someone may have a holiday house sitting empty somewhere in the vicinity of Cyprus, Rhodes, Crete, Lebanon, Turkey, or indeed around near Sorrento and the Bay of Naples, where I could stay and be able to write during part of my journey.

- Any private collection images of Astarte or Aphrodite, and other Goddesses, relevant material or information would be greatly appreciated. I know there are some amazing private collections out there, with images and figurines that may otherwise be unknown of.

- Any articles I may have missed, or which may be printed in foreign language and are relevant to my book are absolutely welcomed. I've done a lot of research, but there's always more out there that may have been overlooked or not known of as it was published in a foreign language.

- You can help spread the word via Twitter, social media, Facebook, or any other way you like!