Global InformationMinoan Moulds of Palaikastro information
| Minoan Moulds of Palaikastro | |
|---|---|
 Casting mould with gears and female figure - Plate A front | |
| Material | Schist |
| Created | c. 1790 BC |
| Discovered | October 1899 Crete, Greece |
The Minoan Moulds of Palaikastro (Greek: Μήτρες του Παλαιοκάστρου Σητείας, romanized: Mitres tou Palaiokastrou Sitias) are two double-sided pieces of schist, formed in the Minoan period as casting moulds for plaques with figures and symbols. These include female figures with raised arms, labrys double axes (Λάβρυες, labryes) and opium poppy flowers or capsules, two double axes with indented edges, the Horns of Consecration symbol, and a sun-like disc with complex markings, which has been claimed by some researchers to be for making objects to use in astronomical predictions of solar and lunar eclipses.
They were found in 1899 near Palaikastro in the eastern part of Crete, and are now in the Herakleion Archeological Museum in Crete.
Plaster cast of Plate A, Front
Plaster cast of Plate A, Rear
Plaster cast of Plate B, Front
Plaster cast of Plate B, Rear