The Tingle Factor Box

She's Well Endowed! Goddess Statue

Imagine you are living in ancient times. Life is good, the crops are growing well, there is plenty of food and water, and you have been at peace for many years with the other people around you. Of course, you have the gods to thanks for this good fortune, but not just the gods. The goddesses are just as important and you must thank the mother for these wonderful things. In the little shrine you have you leave her offerings to thank her for benevolence and make sure her statue is always looked after to ensure she remains happy.

When I took this ancient Goddess statue to show the children, they were most intrigued. For most of the children, religion is something they don’t think a lot about, but they do know that there is usually just one God, who is represented as a man. Yet in ancient times, and in some other religions of today, female divinities or Goddesses were just as important. They thought this was fascinating and were intrigued to discover what sort of Goddess this statue represented. The thing which intrigued them most though was that by looking at the statue closely, they could almost work out what sort of Goddess she was. ‘She’s showing off her assets’ as one older child pointed out, so she’s probably either a goddess of love, or one of motherhood. Not such a bad guess – she’s a Mother Goddess.

Mother Goddesses have a long and important history, appearing in all of the ancient cultures in one form or another. Several small, feminine figurines have been found in excavations around the world which date from the Paeolithic era (up to 26000 years ago!) We don’t know for sure that these figures were Goddesses, but many believe this is a likely explanation for them. More figures of women appear in the Neolithic period which many also interpret to be goddesses. By the time of ancient civilisations which we know a lot about though, we know that were definitely being worshipped. The Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, AZTECS, Celtic, Germanic, Sumerian and various civilisations in the Middle East all worshipped Goddesses, some of whom were mother Goddesses. So why were mother Goddesses so popular? Motherhood is something which is common across all civilisations and in the ancient world, womens ability to give birth was mysterious, important and divine. Giving birth was also dangerous, it could lead to new life, but it could also cause death. Thus motherhood was tied with new life, death and the divine representations of mothers (mother Goddesses) were extremely powerful.

Most mother Goddess figures are represented as having exaggerated womanly features which were important to mothers (big hips and breasts for example). The statue I showed the children does not have the exaggerated hips, but is cradling her breasts, a position which is seen in the mother goddess statues of many cultures. With so many Goddesses to choose from, I cannot be sure which Goddess this statue represents, but she has some similarities to statues of Asherah, the Canaanite Mother of Gods and humans. Asherah is the most important Goddess in the ancient Canaanite religion and also appears in other cultures, but most intriguingly, is also occasionally referred to in ancient artefacts and inscriptions as the consort of Yahweh, the God of Israel and the God referred to in the Christian Old Testament.

They Just Look Like Chips Of Rock - Neolithic Bead

Imagine you are a man living in the Neolithic period. You have been chipping away at stone, making a tool and when you look down, you notice small, thin, rounded flecks of stone. They're really quite pretty and it seems a shame to waste them. The question is, what to do with them. You wonder if it might be possible to make them wearable, as they would look very fine around your neck. You try making a small hole in one of the flecks and to your surprise, it stays intact. Soon, you have made enough to lace together and wear.

It's So Pretty - Samian Ware

Imagine, you are living in Germany. Near where you live, you know there was once a Roman settlement and one of your favourite things to do is wander out into the fields to see if you can find any evidence they left behind. Occasionally you discover a coin or a piece of pottery, but your favourite things to discover are the pieces of Samian Ware. With their vivid colour and beautiful decoration, you always feel you have discovered something treasured when you turn one up in the earth.

They're So Tiny! Roman Coins

Imagine, you are walking through a field in England. You aren't particularly looking for anything, just taking a stroll, when you see a coin. You know how the saying goes - see a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck! When you pick the coin up though, you know it is something a bit more special - you've seen them in the local museum. This is a Roman coin and it was just lying around in a field. Amazing!

It's So Fine! Roman Glass

Imagine, you are a rich Roman, living in Ancient Rome. You are proud of your civilisation, after all, the empire rules much of the known world and is a leader in all areas of life. You have access to so many luxuries brought from all over the empire to Rome, jewels, fine linens, exotic fruits, beautiful oils and perfumes. You also have wonderful bowls and vessels to keep your fruits, oils and perfumes in, the finest glass made by the Roman artisans. No other glass can compare to the quality and beauty of Roman glass.

They Didn't Come Off A Mummy, Did They? Egyptian Faience Beads

Imagine, you are an ancient Egyptian. Recently, one of your parents has died, and you are working hard to make sure that they are given all of the proper amulets, funerary goods and rituals to ensure they are protected on the way to the after life. Of course, this is all very expensive, and you can't afford to use gold and gemstones like the upper classes and Royal family do. You aren't so poor that you can't afford to provide faience beads, amulets and ushabtis though.

Just As Long As It Isn't Human! - Bone Roman Gaming Token

Imagine, you are a man living in ancient Rome. Life is very busy, with training as a soldier, working, political and religious duties. Despite all of these demands on your time, you still find time for leisure, attending the amphitheatre, entertaining, playing games. You particularly cherish quiet moments when you can indulge in playing board games and, although it may not be the common thing to do, you find your wife is a very competent player, if there are no men to verse that is!

So it's an ancient safety-pin? Roman Fibula

Imagine, you are an ancient Roman. It's early morning and you're getting ready for the day. If you're a man you need to get dressed in your toga because you have an important official event to attend today. If you are a woman, you're arranging your palla over your stola. Whether you are a man or a woman though, your clothing is not sewn into a pre-made shape, it needs to be specially draped and held in place. If it isn't securely fastened, you might be embarrassed because it could slip, but luckily you have an ancient safety pin to stop your clothing falling off - a fibula!

But . . . They're So Small! Roman Tesserae

Imagine, you live in Ancient Rome. You are working on creating a beautiful floor for a Roman home. The floor will have a picture laid into it with little tiles, making up a mosaic image. Each tile must be laid one at a time. Luckily, you are using reasonably large tesserae (tiles), after all, you have seen some mosaics which have up to 50 tesserae in a singe square centimetre!

So, It's Like A Candle? - Roman Oil Lamp

When I took these two Roman Oil Lamps to show the children, they were intrigued and surprised to think that these small lamps were used to light the ancient world. Today, they simply flick a switch and have light. Even candles for children are somewhat of a novelty for birthdays and blackouts, and many have never seen even a more modern oil lamp. Yet oil lamps were the main source of lighting for thousands of years.