Found in the Palace at Knossos, the snake goddess is among the most renowned figures of the Aegean culture. Although numerous interpretations have been attributed to her, modern scholars seem to favor the idea that she was a fertility goddess, possibly reflecting a matriarchal or matrilineal tendancy in Aegean culture.The goddess holds snakes in both of her hands, and a spotted cat sits perched atop her hat. Snakes are traditionally symbolic of the chaos from which the earth was born, and of the underworld. The presence of these snakes would imply that the figure represented some sort of creative power or power to bring about regeneration/rebirth. The cat is a traditional symbol of feminity, supporting the concept of a fertility goddess suggested by the figure's ample breasts.