Representation of Women in Cult

While the the home and family were at the heart of the woman's sphere in the ancient world, this does not mean their influence was limited to those areas. Another sphere that archaeologists are discovering that women had a bigger role in than previously known was the cult. One way in which that influence is seen is the use of female representations in cultic objects, such as those seen on display. Sometimes these objects are simply representations of a goddess or goddess-type figure. Other times, they were either votive in nature or perhaps used for aesthetic purposes. Either way, the female image was pervasive in ancient cults.

Artifacts on Display:

1. Syro-Hittite Goddess Figurine
   Date: Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000-1500 BC)
   Provenance: unknown
   Composition: clay
   Collection: LCA Permanent Collection

2. Krater (Large Bowl) Fragment with Female Figurine Appliques
   Date: Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000-1500 BC)
   Provenance: Temple at Tell el-Hayyat, Jordan
   Composition: clay
   Collection: Tell el-Hayyat Collection

3. Female Figurine
   Date: Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000-1500 BC)
   Provenance: Temple at Tell el-Hayyat, Jordan
   Composition: clay
   Collection: Tell el-Hayyat Collection

4. Archaic Greek Female Figurine
   Date: c. 500-400 BC
   Provenance: unknown
   Composition: clay
   Collection: on loan from the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University

5. Roman-Egyptian Female Figurine Wearing the Girdle of Aphrodite
   Date: c. 100-300 AD
   Provenance: unknown
   Composition: bone
   Collection: on loan from the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University

6. Hellenistic Female Figurine
   Date: c. 1st century BC - 1st century AD
   Provenance: Alexandria, Egypt
   Composition: clay
   Collection: on loan from the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University