Anthropomorphic Figurines of South-West Asia Through the Neolithic Transition: Social Function and Interaction Networks

Anthropomorphic figurines constitute one of the most interesting and equally enigmatic objects of the prehistoric era. These miniature statues of the human form are often perceived as representations of gods or goddesses, and treated as static images of worship. More recent approaches investigating their context and materiality, however, have begun to highlight these objects’ active agency in the construction of personhood and the creation of a sense of place and identity in prehistoric societies, with references to a variety of issues such as gender, identity, regeneration, and ancestry. In tandem with the recent developments in the theory and method of prehistoric figurine studies, this presentation aims to focus upon the thematic variation, raw material choices, manufacture processes, discard patterns and spatial contexts of the Neolithic figurines of South-west Asia through time (c.10000-6000 BC). Our purpose is to understand the shifts in social function and cultural interaction spheres represented by these objects. We will discuss some of our results within the context of our ERC funded ancient DNA project that explores the Neolithic transition in the region