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Mark Merlin

Greek archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos called this terracotta statue the “Poppy Goddess.” In 1936 Marinatos found the 28-inch-high idol in an underground chamber—used for cultic purposes—at Gazi, Crete, a few miles from Knossos. Dating to Late Minoan III (1450–1100 B.C.), the Poppy Goddess wears a crown with three pins shaped like poppy capsules; her pose and glazed-over eyes suggest an opium-induced trance. In the same chamber, Marinatos found a vase similar to one from Cyprus (see photo of tubular vase from Cyprus); this vase was probably used to burn opium.