Thesis (M.A.). / Written for the Dept. of Anthropology. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/07/24). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Cornell University, May, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Cornell University, May, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references.

This dissertation answers the question, "What are Halaf figurines?" In response to that question, this study examines a corpus of anthropomorphic figurines from archaeological sites dating to the Halaf period (Sixth Millennium cal BCE) known from excavations in Turkey and Syria. Included in this dissertation is a detailed catalog of 197 figurine examples, both whole and fragmented, and analysis of their excavated contexts from seven Halaf sites in Turkey and nine sites in Syria. The study also reviews and discusses existing literature on Halaf and figurine studies and examines and critiques modern biases, assumptions, and influences, especially as related to the interpretive concepts mother goddess and steatopygous. It proposes a different methodological approach to prehistoric figurines based upon morphology and typology rather than interpretation. It argues that this methodology of recording and analyzing figurine morphology, typology, and archaeological context brings the field closer to four points of human interaction in the object biographies of figurines including: conceptualization, making, use, and discard. This approach to the evidence, the dissertation suggests, can support theoretical ideas about how the lived body was conceptualized and adorned in the Halaf and allows consideration of ways that these embodied ideas and imagery were shared across settlements. A constructed typology consists of five overall types further divided by subtype and Halaf phase, based upon pose, technology, and morphology. Two appendices present the data associated with each figurine in catalog form. A final appendix presents the data condensed to 12 comparable elements. The results of this research are that the typology of Syrian and Anatolian Halaf figurine assemblages are quite different. While the well-known seated clay figurines are indeed most plentiful, they come from only a very tight geographic area in northeast Syria and only from late Halaf contexts. Standing figurines, by contrast, are known from all areas and phases but occur in lesser numbers and in great variety. Analysis of the archaeological contexts reveals that nearly all the figurines in the corpus were isolated finds amidst unremarkable fill contexts. Therefore, it can be concluded that, when Halaf figurines were no longer needed or wanted by the community, they were discarded without special circumstances amongst regular domestic refuse.

This study considers the phenomenon of the sudden and brief appearance of clay figurines in west-central Kyushu towards the end of the Jomon Period (13,000-2,300 14C years BP). The baked clay figurines representing humans were made throughout the Jomon Period, but mostly in central and northern Honshu. Following a review of previous interpretations of the Jomon clay figurines in general, the study focuses on the case of the numerous figurines recovered at the Kaminabe (ca. 2,800 14C years BP) site in Kyushu. Data on lithic assemblages and plant remains at Kaminabe and the sites in the surrounding area during the period under consideration indicate that small-scale cultivation was being practiced in the region. It is suggested here that the Kaminabe figurines represent the females who played important role in production of plant resources.

No description available.

Examination concerning the possibility of finding prehistoric children as considerable actors through the medium of neolithic clay figurines which were discovered in the archaeological remains regarding a pitted-ware settlement excavated in Tråsättra, Stockholm parish in the year 2016. The main aim for this study is to pay attention to a group of individuals most often overlooked in archaeological research as a whole, by searching to find new angles of incidence in a material previously interpreted from a ritual perspective.

In reconstructing the meaning of prehistoric artifacts, the art historian's task is particularly difficult. Scholars dealing with this period of time have to build their arguments on scarce archeological data, often unaided by written documents. Due to this lack of information, prehistoric female figurines are the subject of innacurate iconographic interpretations. In the case of the Mesoamerican Preclassic, the missing data is supplemented by subjective perceptions about people who do not belong to the scholar's own sex or ethnic background. The resulting misinterpretations fill the interstices between the information available and the historical facts. The traditional view that considers these figurines nothing more than beautiful women stop any further inquiries into the subject. Sometimes, the scholar's own fantasies substitute for logical arguments. Scholars writing on Mesoamerican iconography must be careful not to follow many of their predecessors to avoid confusing their colleagues, students and the general public.

As humans we function with a biological side and a psychological side. Both of these sides have their needs. We need to put food in our stomach to stop feeling hungry and we need to give things meaning. In a Human Behavioral Archaeological perspective, which focuses a lot on the economical aspect of the animal and the human, the animal was killed for food. But, how was the animal perceived in a cultural perspective, what was the meaning of this animal? This is the question that will have its answer in this thesis. The animal handling of the Pitted Ware culture  will be analyzed from an animistic point of view - meaning, that human, animals and object can have a soul or a personality. This makes the world seem more fluent. The sharp lines between culture and nature, life and death, human and animal get wiped out and we see a world view the modern Western human is not used to. As much as the animal was a prey, it also was a being with a purpose in the Pitted Ware culture. On the Pitted Ware sites at Jettböle on the Aland Island and at Ajvide on Gotland, the seal was the most prominent animal in both the economic and cultural sphere. The clay figurines of Jettböle show some sort of worship of the seal. Among many of the anatomical parts of the animal and human body, the head seems to be of most importance. Even differences within the same culture appear. At Ajvide, there is a clear burial tradition of the deceased humans, whereas at Jettböle, there is not. And as much as the seal is of dominance at Ajvide, the swine comes in at a close second, whereas at Jettböle, there is almost no swine at all.

Le site de Teotihuacan, situé dans le bassin de Mexico et datant de 100 ANE à 650 DNE, s'impose aujourd’hui grâce à son architecture, ses pyramides de la Lune et du Soleil, son avenue des Morts, mais également ses nombreux complexes d'appartements, qui auraient pu contenir une population d'environ 150 000 habitants à son apogée. Outre cette architecture, Teotihuacan nous a laissé d’autres indices sur son histoire par le biais de son art : des murales, des sculptures, des encensoirs, des figurines d’argile entre autres, mais également des figures hôtes (host figures). L’étude présentée ici se concentre sur les figures hôtes. Ces dernières sont une classe de figurines d’argile creuses contenant une ou plusieurs petites figurines humaines en bas-relief. Bien que de nombreuses figures n’aient pas de provenance, certaines ont été retrouvées non seulement à Teotihuacan, mais également au Guatemala, au Michoacán et au Yucatán, mettant en avant les possibilités d'échanges culturels mésoaméricains et/ou d’implantations de colonies teotihuacanaises en Mésoamérique. Qu’elle était la signification de ces figures hôtes? À l’aide d’une description minutieuse de chaque figure, et malgré une large variabilité, il semblerait que les figures hôtes se divisent en deux groupes distincts. D’un côté, nous aurions les figures hôtes de style teotihuacanais possédant une ouverture simple sur le torse et contenant une ou deux figurines. De l’autre côté, nous aurions les figures hôtes de style maya-teotihuacanais, possédant une ouverture sur toute la longueur du corps et contenant de nombreuses figurines. La comparaison des figures hôtes avec d’autres artéfacts de Teotihuacan, tel les masques et autres figurines, indique que ces figures sont intimement liées à l’expression iconographique et stylistique de Teotihuacan. Pour ce qui est des figures hôtes de style teotihuacanais, leur fonction pourrait être reliée au culte des ancêtres. En revanche, les figures hôtes de style maya-teotihuacanais trouvées en dehors de Teotihuacan pourraient être associées à des rituels politiques de fondation qui est au cœur du pouvoir de l’État Maya. / Teotihuacan, dated between 100 BCE and 650 CE, is situated in the Basin of Mexico. It is known for its imposing monumental architecture, the Pyramid of the Moon, Pyramid of the Sun, and the Avenue of the Dead, but also for its many apartment compounds that could have contained a population of about 150 000 inhabitants at its peak. In addition to its architecture, Teotihuacan’s history can be understood through its art: murals, sculptures, masks, and ceramic figurines. This study concentrates on the latter with an emphasis on a rare figurine type known as host figurines. Host figures are a class of hollow figurines containing one or several small human figurines in bas-relief within its hollow cavity. Although many of these figurines are without provenience, some have been discovered not only in Teotihuacan, but also in Guatemala, in Michoacán and in Yucatán, pointing to the possibilities of Mesoamerican cultural exchanges and/or Teotihuacan colonies in Mesoamerica. What was the significance of these host figures? Through a meticulous description of every figurine, I find that the host figurines can be divided into two major style groups. One group is considered as a Teotihuacan style and is characterized with a simple opening on the torso, which contain one or two figurines. The other group is a Maya-Teotihuacan style and identified with an opening along the length of the body that contains numerous figurines. A comparison of the host figures with other artefacts from Teotihuacan, such as the masks and other figurines, indicate that these figurines are well-rooted within Teotihuacan iconographic and stylistic visual expression. The function of the Teotihuacan style host figurines seems to be connected with the cult of ancestors. In contrast, the Maya-Teotihuacan style figurines found outside Teotihuacan were likely associated with political rites of foundation central to the power of the Maya state.