The Pseudo-Minoan Nestor Ring and Its Egyptian Iconography

Abstract

The so-called Nestor Ring was found in 1924 and was accepted as authentic by Sir Arthur Evans whereas many other scholars condemned it as a forgery. In recent years, scholars have claimed its authenticity anew. This article examines the background of the find circumstances and judges them suspicious. It also adds the criterion of semantic coherence in the debate and argues that the coherence depends on Egyptian prototypes and that the use of the butterfly motif argues against the artifact’s authenticity.