Examining the Chaîne Opératoire of the Late Cypriot II-IIIA (15th-12th centuries B.C.) Female Terracotta Figurines: An Experimental Approach

Abstract

During the Cypriot Late Bronze Age and, more precisely, the 15th-12th centuries B.C., the anthropomorphic Base-Ring figurine tradition reached its height. Broadly speaking, the handmade terracottas of females can be stylistically separated into two groups comprising both hollow and solid examples: the so-called ‘bird-headed’ (Type A) and ‘flat-headed’ (Type B) figurines (Astrom and Astrom 1972, 512-514; J. Karageorghis 1977, 72-85; Morris 1985, 166-174; Karageorghis 1993, 3-14). The chaine op...