The role of terracotta figures and figurines in Mycenaean cult

Abstract

Since the time of Schliemann, Bronze Age scholars, while acknowledging the significance of figurines to Mycenaean cult, have not fully understood their function. This study attempts to shed some light on the topic by an evaluation of figurine findings from three separate contexts, cemetery, settlement and shrine. The views of various scholars are noted, but every attempt has been made to eliminate preconceptions from what aims to be a strictly analytical study. To avoid speculation, wherever possible strict criteria have been employed in the statistical enumeration of figurines and in the recording of find locations. Results have been tabulated and relevant conclusions drawn. It is not anticipated that any sweeping revelations will be made since the nature of the topic militates against dramatic conclusions.