Stylised human figurine
Γ1107
Stone
Intact
Height: 67.5 cm. Maximum width: 17 cm. Thickness: 6-6.5 cm.
Sambas Pediada
Lakkos site
Early - Middle Bronze Age. Prepalatial period, Early Minoan ΙΙΒ - Middle Minoan ΙI period.:
2300 - 1900 BC:
Gallery:
ICase:
10Exhibition thematic unit:
Early Bronze Age - Prepalatial period (3000 - 1900 BC). Settlements and cemeteries - the rise of ruling groupsFigurines - The symbolisms of the human form
Description
This figurine represents a stylised, completely abstract human figure, with a long, plank-shaped body and a round head. Neither the limbs nor the details of the face and body are rendered. Formless, stylised human figurines have been found in various areas of Prepalatial Crete, and research has shown that they coexisted with more naturalistic figurine types. The figurine from Sambas is the earliest example of a large human figurine in Minoan Crete. The particularly flat volumes of the body and its elongated shape refer to the tradition of making xoana, large-scale wooden cult figurines. Its use is unclear, but it may have been a grave marker, as most figurines of this type are associated with burials.Bibliography:
Sapouna-Sakellaraki, Ε. "Το Ειδώλιο του Σαμπά και τα Άμορφα Λίθινα Ειδώλια - Οι συμβολισμοί της ανθρώπινης μορφής της Πρώιμης Εποχής του Χαλκού στην Κρήτη." Αρχαιολογική Εφημερίδα (1983): 44-74. Sphakianakis, D. "Καλόν Δαίδαλον": Από το Ειδώλιο στο Είδωλο." In S. Mandalaki (ed.), Δαίδαλος. Στα 'Ιχνη του Μυθικού Τεχνίτη. Κατάλογος Έκθεσης στο Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ηρακλείου, 10 Μαϊου 2019 - 1 Μαρτίου 2020. Heraklion, 2019, 90-101, 216.Author:
E. S.Photographs' metadata