Paper short abstract:

The imaginary landscapes of Minoan frescoes may be understood in a new light when considered as synaesthetic material culture, offering multisensory experiences to, and of, the divine.

Paper long abstract:

Depictions of plants are relatively common in Minoan iconography, and have earned this society as reputation as "flower-lovers". Large-scale frescoed landscapes have been the focus of much scholarly attention, and interpretations are many and varied. Some such scenes also feature female figures amidst the plants or on adjacent walls, often understood as divinities. Proposing a link to religious ritual and the concomitant power associated with its control has therefore been especially common in readings of this imagery. This paper takes a fresh look at these imaginary landscapes and their associated hybrid plants, and suggests that to simply "read" them may be to neglect a key aspect of their function as synaesthetic material culture. Sensory information is not just biological, but culturally conditioned, and can be expressed in iconography in various ways. Such imagery is not only for visual consumption but serves to trigger or enhance other sensory responses. Using this concept, Minoan painted floral scenes need not be merely symbolic, but can be understood as providing year-round aroma, which functioned on two sensory levels: pleasing divine beings, and bringing humans into closer contact with experiences of divinity. Further archaeological evidence from the Bronze Age Aegean supports the theory that olfactory offerings played important roles in rituals, and that a more embodied interpretation of material culture may offer fresh insights. Moreover, controlling interaction with these landscapes (and with the divine) through manipulating physical experiences of them can be seen as a subtle yet deeply corporeal wielding of power.