RT Journal Article
T1 Where myth and archaeology meet: Discovering the Gorgon Medusa’s Lair
A1 Finlayson, Clive
A1 Gutiérrez López, José María
A1 Reinoso del Río, María Cristina
A1 Rodríguez Vidal, Joaquín
AB Here we report the discovery of ceramic fragments that form part of a Gorgoneion, a ceramicimage representation of the Gorgon Medusa. The fragments were found in a deep part ofGorham’s Cave, well known to ancient mariners as a natural shrine, between the 8th and 2ndcentury BCE. We discuss the context of this discovery, both within the inner topography ofthe cave itself, and also the broader geographical context. The discovery is situated at theextreme western end of the Mediterranean Sea, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. Thelocation was known to ancient mariners as the northern Pillar of Herakles, which marked theend of the known world. We relate the discovery, and its geographical and chronologicalcontext, to Greek legends that situated the lair of the Gorgon sisters at a location which coin-cides with the physical attributes and geographical position of Gorham’s Cave. We thus pro-vide, uniquely, a geographical and archaeological context to the myth of Perseus and theslaying of the Gorgon Medusa.
PB Public Library of Science
SN 1932-6203
YR 2021
FD 2021-04
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10272/19760
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10272/19760
LA eng
NO Finlayson, C., Gutiérrez López, J. M., Reinoso del Rio, M. C. ... Rodriguez Vidal, J. (2021). Where myth and archaeology meet: Discovering the Gorgon Medusa’s Lair. PLOS ONE, 16(4), e0249606. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249606
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026