A fragment of anthropomorphic figurine from the sitein Valcorrente (Belpasso): a typological study and an interpretation proposal

Abstract

This work concerns the typological and interpretative study of a female figurine found at Valcorrente di Belpasso (Catania), located on the south-eastern slopes of Etna. In particular, the study will deal with identification of shared iconographic models within a specific cultural horizon, symbolic values and use of this particular category of objects. The figurine finds comparisons above all with some “idols” from different centers of the Mediterranean in the III and II millennium BC, both in the Balkan, Eastern areas and Northern Italy. The widespread diffusion of this type may have favored its production and distribution in geographic contexts, even far away, while maintaining its meaning and modes of use.