Discovery of fragments of a Gorgoneion: a ceramic representation of the Gorgon Medusa from Gorham’s Cave



One of the classic stories in Greek mythology is the beheading of the Gorgon Medusa by Perseus.

This story tells how Perseus finds his way, with the help of the gods, to the lair of the Gorgon sisters and decapitates Medusa, the most evil of the three.

According to tradition, the lair of Medusa appears to have been set within the confines of the Strait of Gibraltar and adjacent regions of North Africa.

At the 2019 Calpe Conference archaeologists revealed the discovery of fragments of a Gorgoneion, a ceramic representation of the Gorgon Medusa, from Gorham’s Cave in Gibraltar.

The Gorgoneion, found in the deepest part of the cave, may indicate the myth's location.

The discovery is a an interesting breakthrough in the link between the mythology and archaeology; in the eyes of mariners of the 8th and 7th centuries BC, Gorham’s Cave, situated at the base of one of the Pillars of Hercules, was the home of the Gorgon Medusa.

We would like to thank the press office at No 6 Convent Place, HM Government Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Museum for the photograph and information.

19 September 2019

Photograph Copyright Gibraltar Museum


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