Ancient Near Eastern Terracottas (ANET)

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Terracotta: AN1910.669

Object: Female figurine

Period: Bronze Age: Early Bronze Age

Dimensions: H: 9.3cm. W: 4.9cm.

Region: Anatolia

Find Spot: no provenance

Description: baked; handmodelled; brownish ochre fabric, highly burnished; the incised decoration is in deep cut lines made before firing and then filled with a white substance of which traces remain; flat, stylized form. As a deeply incised line separates it from the top of the head, the round flat object may be a cap rather than dressed hair. The back of the "cap" is elaborately patterned with chevrons in four quadrants, each band marked with incised dots; the front has a zigzag line with dots alternating in the triangles. A similar pattern marks the hair across the brow. The eyebrows and nose are incised lines, with the eyes, a dot within a square, drawn away to the sides of the face, no mouth is clearly shown (a mark in the clay seems to be accidental); and no ears. There is a necklace with linear pendants above crossing-straps, marked out with dots. On either side rises in the clay, indicating breasts, are overlaid with incised chevrons up to the arm stubs; the navel is indicated; there is a "girdle" with a design of chevrons, above the highly stylised genitals; at this point the figurine terminates in a curving line. On the reverse are two tassels, pendant from the "cap", above crossing-straps depicted as on the front. It appears that the figure is nude.

Reference: Moorey (2004) 380

Follow this link to the Anatolia Chapter of the Catalogue