Lecture on The Gorgons Eye

Presented by Reema Habib, Department of Classics. Gorgons were a popular image in Greek mythology, appearing in the earliest of written records of Ancient Greek religious beliefs such as those of Homer, which may date to as early as 1194–1184 BC. Because of their legendary and powerful gaze that could turn one to stone, images of the Gorgons were put upon objects and buildings for protection. An image of a Gorgon holds the primary location at the pediment of the temple at Corfu, which is the oldest stone pediment in Greece, and is dated to c. 600 BC. A marble statue of Gorgon (6th century BC, Museum No. 1285), 1.35 m high, almost intact, belonging to a temple, was found (1993) in an ancient public building in Parikia, Paros capital, Greece.