• Cycladic folded-arm figurine



Cycladic folded-arm figurine
Cycladic folded-arm figurine
Cycladic folded-arm figurine

Vaulted Tombs of Mesara ➔ Cycladic folded-arm figurine

Γ122
Stone (Marble)
Intact
Height: 23.6 cm.
Koumasa
Between Tholos Tombs A and B
Early Bronze Age. Prepalatial period, Early Minoan ΙΙI period.:
2700 - 2400 BC:
Gallery:
I
Case:
10
Exhibition thematic unit:
Early Bronze Age - Prepalatial period (3000 - 1900 BC). Settlements and cemeteries - the rise of ruling groups
Figurines - The symbolisms of the human form
Description
Standing naked female figurine with arms folded under the chest, probably pregnant. Her swollen belly and breasts are modelled, while the arms, toes and genitals are rendered by incisions. There are also faint traces of paint on the face, indicating that the eyes and mouth were painted. Marble figurines of this type are very characteristic creations of Early Bronze Age Cycladic culture. Some of the Cycladic-type figurines found in Crete were imported from the Cyclades, while many others were made in Crete in the Cycladic style. This figurine from Koumasa is a Cycladic import. Most Cycladic-type figurines have been found in cemeteries of the Early Minoan II period, but they do not appear to have been intended exclusively for funerary use, since they were used before being placed in the graves. The Cycladic figurines in Crete attest to the extensive and multifaceted contacts between the island and the Cyclades.
Bibliography:
Dimopoulou-Rethemiotaki, Ν., Το Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ηρακλείου, Athens, 2005, 72. Kanta, A., Karetsou, A. and Panagiotopoulos, D. "Cycladic-type (and related) figurines from Hagios Onouphrios and Koumasa. Detecting the character of the Cycladic "presence" in South Crete." In Ν. Chr. Stampolidis and P. Sotirakopoulou (eds), Κυκλαδικά στην Κρήτη. Κυκλαδικά και Κυκλαδίζοντα Ειδώλια - Οι συμβολισμοί της ανθρώπινης μορφής μέσα στην ανασκαφική τους συνάφεια. Πρακτικά Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου, Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής Τέχνης, Athens, 1-2 Οκτωβρίου 2015. Athens, 2017, 239-272. Xanthoudides, St. The Vaulted Tombs of Mesara. An Account of Some Early Cemeteries of Southern Crete. London, 1924, 22-24, pl. ΧΧΙ:122.
Author:
E. S.


Photographs' metadata