Assyrian statuettes and figurines from Samos (1)

Summary
Some bronze figurines found in Samos were most probably of Assyrian origin.

Text
Three bronze statuettes found in Samos (Greece) can be attributed to an Assyrian origin based on stylistic criteria and their comparison to Assyrian reliefs and stone sculpture. One is a statue of a god, the other two of humans. The god statue, albeit in very poor condition, seems to be a bearded figure with a horned headdress, and could possibly have held divine symbols in its clenched fists. The other statuettes represent a bearded man with one arm raised in salutation and a beardless figure with both arms raised in supplication wearing an embroidered dress.

All three statuettes cannot be dated with certainty. There are however some stylistic details that could indicate a date within the eighth century for their manufacture.

Their function is even more obscure. Jantzen 1972 believes that they may have been furniture components, (as seen on the throne on a wall-painting at Til-Barsib). However, as furniture components they should have pegs at top and bottom, while these bronze statuettes only have pegs at the bottom. Another idea was that they were votive figurines (Börker-Klähn 1973, 43-44), not unknown in the Assyrian world.

Bibliography

Christina Tsouparopoulou

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