The Terracotta Figurines of Ancient Cyprus

The Terracotta Figurines of Ancient Cyprus

The Terracotta Figurines of Ancient Cyprus

Alexis Drakopoulos

Email IconLinkedIn Icon

December 2, 2024

Archeology, Ceramics, History

Terracotta figurines, small 5 to 30cm sculptures representing human, animal, furniture, or other forms fired from clay, are among the most interesting and abundant artifacts recovered from archeological sites across the Levant. These figurines are ubiquitous in the region, with Cyprus being no exception.

Although terracotta figurines are often associated with Egyptian contexts, their story in the Levant begins in ancient Mesopotamia. While the region was inhabited during the Paleolithic period, no artistic output from that time is known. The first signs of artistic production appeared in the pre-pottery Neolithic, dating to approximately 11,000 years ago. Several detailed anthropomorphic stone figurines found in the region, although far different from the later popular terracotta figurines, demonstrate a desire for artistic expression through miniature sculptures.

The inhabitants of Northern Mesopotamia were the first in the Near East to experiment with clay forms, and the rest of the region soon followed. In addition to basic utilitarian pottery vessels, they produced anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines, including gynemorphic figurines of pregnant women. These themes would permeate the region for thousands of years.

Chalcolithic

The site of Kalavasos-Ayious produced 37 terracotta figurines and fragments, likely all anthropomorphic. While most of these are damaged beyond recognition, all are believed to represent female forms.

Bronze Age

Plank Figures

Almost a millenium after the disappearance of Chalcolithic Picrolite figures, around 2100 BCE, a new type of minimalistic anthropomorphic figurine was introduced, the enigmatic Plank figures of ancient Cyprus.

Shrouded in mystery, adored for their modern minimalist aesthetic, these artefacts would become one of the most iconic figurines of Cyprus' history.

Plank figures were produced only for a few hundred years, from 2100 to 1750 BCE, with only a few hundred examples known to exist.

Astarte Figures

Iron Age

Hellenistic Period & Later

  • The Danger of Ascribing Purpose to Terracotta Figurines
  • Manufacturing Types: Handmade, Mold-made, Wheel-made, Combinations of the above.