Terracottas in a Domestic Context: The Case of the House of Orpheus in Nea Paphos, Cyprus

Delivered by Giorgos Papantoniou on behalf of his co-researchers Demetrios Michaelides and Maria Dikomitou-Eliadou, this lecture presents the findings of the A. G. Leventis Foundation project "Moulding Expressions of Culture" on the terracotta figurines from the House of Orpheus at Nea Paphos. Excavated by the Department of Antiquities and the University of Cyprus, the residence sits near the Villa of Theseus and the House of Dionysos, with its main mosaic-decorated phase dating to the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries AD above Hellenistic remains.

The excavation yielded over four hundred terracotta fragments, dated mostly to the Roman period and concentrated around the atrium and private heated baths. Papantoniou surveys their iconography, in which Aphrodite is the most prominent deity. Variants include Aphrodite fastening her strophion, a Venus Pudica, and a Toilet of Venus with winged Eros. The strophion figurine matches a piece from the House of Dionysos in the Paphos Museum from the same mould, both preserving the incised signature of the local coroplast Epaphrias. Other divine and mythological figures include Eros with a lowered torch, Hermes, Pan, Dionysos, and Egyptian-inspired pieces including a bust with Isis locks and a reclining Tyche of Alexandria. The assemblage also contains life-size theatrical masks, a male grotesque caricature, a multi-coloured chariot group, an African head, and animal figurines of deer and Maltese-type dogs.

Turning to ceramic analysis and manufacturing technology, the speakers report that macroscopic examination, pXRF and neutron activation analysis show a homogeneous calcareous fabric divided into two compositional groups, explained by local Paphian production using either two clay sources or two workshops, or by interregional distribution within Cyprus. Nearly all the figurines were hollow-cast in two-piece moulds and fired between 750 and 950 degrees, with circular back vents and hand-applied details such as a clay dolphin. Experimental replications with the Laboratory of Thetis Authentics in Athens examined clay shrinkage and detail loss across derivative mould generations, showing how Maltese dog prototypes from Egypt were copied locally.

The final section considers domestic function. Comparing parallels from Delos, Priene, Olynthos and Pompeii alongside finds from the House of Orpheus such as miniature limestone and terracotta altars and a boat-shaped multi-nozzle lamp depicting Isis, Serapis and Harpocrates, the authors argue that single figurines could serve as household cult items, bedroom or courtyard ornaments, or toys. The talk concludes with a presentation of the project's 2019 Brill edited volume, Hellenistic and Roman Terracottas.