Producing food, children, and music: an ecofeminist perspective of Archaic Cyprus

Claudina Romero Mayorga

doi:10.30827/arenal.v31i2.26036

Auteurs-es

Claudina Romero Mayorga University of Reading https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8664-2650

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.30827/arenal.v31i2.26036

Mots-clés :

Cypriot figurines. Exvotos. Women in Archaic Cyprus. Agro-feminism. Cypriot archaeo- logy. Clay. Cypriot sanctuaries. Statuettes

Résumé

The Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology (University of Reading) houses a small collection of Cypriot objects, which includes 9 terracotta figurines holding different attributes: bread, shields, animals, and musical instruments, that is why they have traditionally been interpreted as ex-votos, created by a farming society to please gods and ensure prosperity. Unsurprisingly, most of them have been classified as female, while those with a shield and conic headgear have been recognised as male soldiers. This paper focuses on how these female figurines embodied the different roles assigned to women in the agricultural-based economy and religion of Archaic Cyprus. It also analyses the local economy from a gendered perspective, studying how women from a farming community faced domestic demands, complied with institutionalised religious and public roles, while providing children to secure descendance.

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