1981–1983

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… by figurine types or by clay, is there any evidence that more than one workshop was functioning at any given period, what is the relationship between workshops of different periods?

During the study season of 1983 preliminary classification and cataloguing of the figurine fragments was completed. Each figurine or fragment from within the Archaic precinct, most of which were either wheelmade or handmade and individually different, was separately catalogued; the categories represented are single animals, predominantly bulls, and standing votaries. The votive pit excavated outside the precinct wall also contained a small number of similar figurines of votaries and animals, but no bulls were documented and several types of human and animal statuettes not found inside the precinct were included. These pieces were catalogued individually. For the majority of fragments from the votive pit, however, it was unfeasible to follow this procedure because of the large numbers and the repetitious nature of the figurines. Thus, for the horse-riders and chariot groups a different approach was taken: both types were analyzed and recorded according to their most diagnostic features. Both types can be divided into two categories according to the technique of manufacture for the human face: handmade or mouldmade. The human and horse bodies, headresses, attributes carried by the men and chariots are entirely handmade. Clearly some of the same face moulds, headdresses and horse types were used for both types of figurine groups.

Nearly 900 moulded faces were analyzed and forty-eight moulds identified, nine of which occur in two or three sizes, indicating successive remoulding perhaps over a considerable period of time. The style of the face can give a terminus post quem for the making of the mould and therefore of the piece, but moulds could be used over long-time spans. Other evidence