Figures and offerings

What was ivory used for?

As the medium for some small decorative objects or in beads

Where does ivory come from?

Elephant tusks or hippo and boar horns

How valuable was ivory?

Very, since it comes in short supply as it only comes from elephants, hippos and boars and must be imported to Greece as none of those animals are native to the area. Therefore the owners of these ivory figurines will have been very wealthy

Clay figurines

Soft and pliable so different figures could be sculpted. Small animal figurines have been found in private homes or tombs - some may have been toys as they were found in children’s tombs, but may have also been used in sacrifice as religious offerings to the gods in the hope of the fulfilment of a prayer, or worship

What styles of human figurines have been found?

Phi, psi and tau

What is the significance of phi, psi and tau?

They were letters of the greek alphabet and thought that they may represent female goddesses as the phi and psi types typically show feminine figures with prominent breasts

Examples of clay pottery figurines

Phi, psi and tau figurines, humans with their arms raised or holding implements (with the females having fine jewellery and prominent breasts), coiled snakes or miniature cattle

Examples of ivory carvings

Child with two bare breasted women (possibly goddesses), combs with a depiction of sphinxes and a rosette, chair legs and other items of furniture with ivory inlays of sphinxes, dolphins, columns, shells and shields