A Bronze Age axe discovered in Crete may carry a dedication to a mother goddess described as a “Sidian (and) Asian Mother,” according to a study offering a new reading of 15 ancient signs carved into it. The interpretation points to possible links between Minoan worship and places across the Aegean, although the proposed translation remains uncertain.
The bronze double axe, known as the Arkalochori Axe, dates to about 1700 to 1600 B.C. Archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos found it in 1934 inside Arkalochori Cave. Its markings appear in three columns and resemble symbols used in Cretan hieroglyphs, Linear A, and the Phaistos Disc.
To interpret the inscription, the study compares the carved figures with signs recorded on other Minoan objects. It proposes reading the columns from top to bottom and right to left, assigning sounds to images that include a human head, a tree, and a ship. Its first two reconstructed lines read “ZO-SI-DA” and “I-SE-NA-I-MA-TE.”
Bronze Age axe from Crete has possible links to “mother Ida” inscription
The study connects “MA-TE” with “I-DA-MA-TE,” an inscription found on two other double axes at Arkalochori. That phrase has been understood as “Mother Ida,” giving the proposed reading a possible religious meaning. The analysis suggests the preceding sounds, “I-SE-NA-I,” could describe the mother goddess or identify a place associated with her.
One proposed connection leads to Asia Minor. The study compares the word with place-related forms in Linear A and names associated with Asia in Linear B, a script used by the Mycenaeans. It also points to examples in which similar syllables vary between inscriptions, a possible explanation for differences in spelling.
The sequence “SI-DA” may refer to Sida, the study suggests. A related form in Linear B has been interpreted as “one who originates from Sida.” The analysis also raises a possible connection to the Sintians, ancient inhabitants of Lemnos.
Possible links to Lemnos rest on uncertain sign readings
The Lemnos connection rests partly on the proposed reading “RE-MNO” at the end of the inscription. A similar group of signs appears on a Minoan vessel from Miletus in Asia Minor. The study suggests the word might relate to Lemnos and possibly serve as another description of the goddess.
It also compares “I-SA-MA-NA” with “A-SA-MU-NE,” a sequence recorded in Linear A, and draws on previous comparisons of the Phaistos Disc by Gareth Owens and Jon Coleman.
Several readings remain uncertain. The axe is damaged where one tree-like sign appears, while other symbols have more than one possible match. The study presents “Sidian (and) Asian Mother” as a hypothesis, rather than a settled translation of the inscription.
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