Aniconicity in the Seal Iconography of the Late Minoan I period

The aniconicity of figures depicted on Minoan seals has been widely noticed. Yule recognises “schematized heads” as a feature of Minoan signet ring iconography (1977, 61, n. 23), while Sakellarakis (1972, 248, pll. 94, 95c) observes that the whole upper part of the body of several representations of ‘priestesses with victim’ is rendered in an abstract (and thus aniconic) way. Pini (1983, 39–50) argues that this is one of the traits of LM I seal engraving throughout the island. All the seals he compares, except two unclear sealings, have figures that are aniconically rendered. It is believed here, in accordance with Pini's arguments, that this element is a characteristic of the Neopalatial iconography of gold signet rings.