Artemis Bendis at The British Museum, London

myminifactory

Greek artists depicted Bendis, a goddess of Thrace in northern Greece, as Artemus the huntress. Her cult was introduced into Athens during the late 5th century BC. This terracotta figure wears a soft leather headdress of a type shown on representations of Thracians, Persians and Phrygians in Greek art. Artemis was one of the most widely worshiped Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name, and indeed the goddess herself, was originally non-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals". The Arcadians believed she was Demeter's daughter. In the classical period of Greek mythology, Artemis was often described as Zeus and Leto's daughter, and Apollo's twin sister. She was the Hellenic goddess of the hunt, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, and protector of young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women; she is often depicted carrying a bow and arrows. The deer and cypress were sacred to her. In later Hellenistic times, she even assumed Eileithyia's ancient role in aiding childbirth. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for public access. Scan the World is an open source community effort; if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help. Scanned: Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)