zoomorphic Figurines

This book deals with zoomorphic bronze statuettes in the territory of Colchis, in the time course of 1st half of the 1st millennium BC. 
Some of these materials were unearthed by the Archaeological Expedition of Colchis in the 1970s, but our research revealed hitherto unknown artefacts in the archaeological collections of the Georgian National Museum and Regional Museums.
The appearance of the bronze round statues in Colchis is discussed in general historical-cultural context. The stylistic analysis of the sculptures compares with local zoomorphic shapes as well as animal sculptures from neighboring archaeological cultures. Figurines from Northern Caucasus, Luristan and Greek archaeological sites are included in the work.
Main results are given in English.

Preserved fingerprints on archaeological findings are a rare phenomenon and they can provide very important data for interpreting items from the past. They are particularly important for Archaeology of childhood because they can testify about objects that were made by children. Thanks to the cooperation with the forensics officers of the MUP Novi Sad, it was previously established for one ceramic object that it was made by a 10 year old child. It is a miniature zoomorphic figurine of the Vinča culture with preserved children's fingerprints appeared during its modeling.
During further research on ceramic material, which was considered to be intended for children or that have been made by children, preserved fingerprints were found on 27 objects. These are the findings belonging to Vinča (Neolithic period) and Vatin culture (Bronze age culture), and they originated from the sites of Gomolava, Vinča and Feudvar. All objects, but one, which was not available for research, were handed over to forensic analysis at MUP Novi Sad. Expertise was performed by top experts with many years of experience, they examined 26 objects and determined that at the 23 of them fingerprints were not preserved well enough to be able to conclude to whom they were belonging. But, on three objects, children’s fingerprints were found. These are two miniature vessels and one zoomorphic figurine, belonging to Vinča culture.

This thesis aims to understand the use of animal figurines at the Early Bronze Age site of Koçumbeli in social context. In order to achieve this aim, 20 animal figurines from Koçumbeli have been examined in terms of their thematic representations, raw materials, production technique, color, breakage as well as their contexts. Thematic evaluations focus on the animals depicted and their sex and age, while the contextual evaluations focus on the spatiality of animal figurines in relation to domestic and burial contexts. Following this, where possible through the publications, the animal figurines discovered at other EBA sites of Anatolia are evaluated in similar terms, in an attempt to achieve a better understanding of the figurines under consideration.
The thematic findings indicate that horned animals are particularly emphasized both within the corpus of Koçumbeli and other sites. Besides these, other animals can be found within the assemblages. The contextual evaluations suggest that the clay animal figurines are generally associated with domestic contexts whereas the metal figurines are associated with elite burial contexts.
Based on an evaluation of these findings against the subsistence economy of the time period as well as the development of animal imagery during the prehistory of Anatolia, it is suggested that animal figurines mediate a negotiation of social identity and prestige of individuals and families with reference to beliefs and rituals of social regeneration. Their specialized production in metals and association with elite burials should be placed in context of the emerging centralization processes during EBA in Anatolia.

his thesis aims to understand the use of animal figurines at the Early Bronze Age site of Koçumbeli in social context. In order to achieve this aim, 20 animal figurines from Koçumbeli have been examined in terms of their thematic representations, raw materials, production technique, color, breakage as well as their contexts. Thematic evaluations focus on the animals depicted and their sex and age, while the contextual evaluations focus on the spatiality of animal figurines in relation to domestic and burial contexts. Following this, where possible through the publications, the animal figurines discovered at other EBA sites of Anatolia are evaluated in similar terms, in an attempt to achieve a better understanding of the figurines under consideration.
The thematic findings indicate that horned animals are particularly emphasized both within the corpus of Koçumbeli and other sites. Besides these, other animals can be found within the assemblages. The contextual evaluations suggest that the clay animal figurines are generally associated with domestic contexts whereas the metal figurines are associated with elite burial contexts.
Based on an evaluation of these findings against the subsistence economy of the time period as well as the development of animal imagery during the prehistory of Anatolia, it is suggested that animal figurines mediate a negotiation of social identity and prestige of individuals and families with reference to beliefs and rituals of social regeneration. Their specialized production in metals and association with elite burials should be placed in context of the emerging centralization processes during EBA in Anatolia.

This paper reports the results of recent investigations of ceramic figurines and musical instruments from Classic Belize River Valley site of Baking Pot, located approximately 8 km northeast of the modern town of San Ignacio in the Cayo District of Belize. Analysis of the iconographic features of the Baking Pot collection indicate that the figurines and instruments are mostly mold-made items, with a division of mostly figurine fragments, fragments of musical instruments, or unknown fragmented items. A nearly equal division of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic items are present in the collection. Anthropomorphic fragments almost always include heads or headdresses and hair. A few arm or leg appendage fragment are present as well. Zoomorphic items are often heads as well, with dogs, bats, and birds frequently represented. Other items included in the collection include ceramic beads and censer fragments, but do not represent much of the collection. Lastly, some artifacts recovered were so fragmented and without explicitly diagnostic traits, and are counted in this analysis as unknown fragments, as it is unclear if they were instruments or figurines themselves, but clearly were not part of ceramic wares such as vases, bowls, plates, or other serving types.

Presentation for SABA 2019 (Studentischen Archäologie-Symposium Bamberg).
Abstract:
Figurines are some of the most commonly found artefacts in Neolithic sites across the Near East. Their frequency and seemingly recurrent aesthetic, specifically for anthropomorphic subjects, has led past and modern research to often interpret these objects as representations of fertility deities, often labelled as ‘mother-goddesses’. This interpretation, mostly based on an exclusively stylistic analysis, suggests a universalistic understanding of figurines, implying that similarities in aesthetics indicated similarities in meanings too (Lesure 2011, 1). Furthermore it does not acknowledge that meanings are fabricated within a complex dynamic social context and are, therefore, unstable by nature (Lesure 2002, 588). However, most recent research stresses the importance of contextualisation and highlights the potential of technical aspects, like the manufacturing process (Talalay 1987, 161). This kind of approach will be applied here for the study of the figurine assemblages of the Late Neolithic levels of Hacilar and Höyücek, in the Lake District region of Western Anatolia to assess whether a contextual-technical approach to figurines can help us better understand the role and use these objects had, as opposed to the previously employed approaches. Therefore, after introducing the Neolithic of the Lake District, it will analyse these assemblages starting from their archaeological context, their manufacturing process, possible usage patterns, and lastly it will consider the relevance of stylistic elements in relation to the previously analysed aspects. This research will highlight the diversity of practices in these two sites which perhaps supports the conclusion argued by the author that these artefacts could have had dynamic meanings and therefore uses within the same community. However, the reader should be informed of the limitations of this research, starting from the impossibility of working with the objects first-hand – therefore relying exclusively on pictures and drawings – and having to work with old and not so systematic excavation reports.

“Standard” examples of Neolithic three-dimensional, clay images are generally isolated and static, independently of the posture in which they are depicted. However, some composite figures are uncommon, since they may be represented as if permanently “acting” or “functioning”, including even in “unnatural” occurrences. Such unusual representations could then be considered either as images of real, observed individuals in a particular condition or performing an act, or as signifiers of the communal recollection of an event or of the narration of a belief. Either reality or fiction, a specific true or mythical scene would have been memorized and materialized, fixed permanently in image, as it would have appeared during tangible or invented performance. The paper endeavours to present a number of such examples and seek possible interpretative directions of their meanings and functions.

Deși reduse numeric, reprezentările ornitomorfe sunt cunoscute în toate fazele de evoluție ale complexului cultural Precucuteni-Ariușd-Cucuteni-Tripolie. Prezența lor – ca realizări în ronde bosse sau pictate – dezvăluie existența unei mitologii și a unor scenografii rituale în care păsările, vietăți al căror atribut principal este zborul, aveau un rol important.
Lucrarea își propune să introducă în circuitul științific câteva noi reprezentări ornitomorfe descoperite prin cercetările arheologice din ultimii ani sau chiar prin analiza atentă a unor materiale intrate de mult timp în depozite, dar nepublicate. Aceste descoperiri includ în aria de distribuție a reprezentărilor ornitomorfe noi puncte sau chiar piese speciale din punct de vedere tipologic, ceea ce face semnalarea lor importantă. Analizate și integrate tipologic descoperirilor similare din arealul civilizației de referință, ele indică valențele multiple ale reprezentărilor ornitomorfe, permițând direcții diverse de analiză și interpretare.

The main purpose of this paper is to introduce into the scientific circuit a few new aviform representations discovered by the archaeological research in the last years, as well as by careful analysis of material that have been registered into collections since long time but have not been published. These finds enter new sites or even special specimens in the distribution area of aviform representations, which makes their publication important.

Vortragstext, der mit Anmerkungen und Abbildungen ergänzt wurde. Besprochen werden dingliche Quellen, die im weitesten Sinne mit dem Begriff "Kult" in Verbindung stehen dürften. Erstdruck!
Zitat (Seite 255):  Die alteingeführte Bezeichnung "Idol" hat hinsichtlich ihrer Kürze sicherlich eine gewisse Berechtigung. Es muß nur von vorneherein klargestellt sein, daß damit keine spezielle Interpretation  verbunden ist (Anmerkung 30).