Prehistoric Aegean

Cycladic Figurine of a Woman

These highly stylized, flat, geometrically shaped marble statuettes have been discovered on grave sites. This implies a ritual funerary use. However, there is evidence that the figurines were used and repaired long before going into the grave. The female figurines are nude and triangular, with their arms crossed across the stomach, a pose considered symbolic of a woman’s fertility. On a similar note, they may represent, in a like-manner of the Venus of Willendorf, a Great Goddess of Nature, a fertility goddess. Fertility, afterall, was a central theme in their religion. Though definite meaning and function is unknown, it is nice to see that women, and their prominent role in rebirth and the life cycle, are so openly depicted.