Mother and Child Figurine

Mother and Child Figurine

A mother and child

This figure, excavated from a mass grave at Beth Shean in the 1920s, is fashioned from terracotta, adorned with a red wash, and depicts a woman carrying, presumably, her own child upon her left shoulder. The figurine appears to have been created from a mold, as each side shares the same design, is hollow, and has a visible seam along its sides. There are no visible religious connotations in the figurine, and it most likely was used as an offering to the deceased, as a device in funerary practice, or simply was a possession of the departed.

Beth Shean, Israel, Cemetery North II, 105/3, Glass G

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Late 5th century CE (?)

Hannah Mackey

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/104154

Ceramic; 14.2 x 3 x 6.1 cm

Figurine

29-103-936