Seated Female Figurine

Place of OriginSyria or Iraq

DateLate 6th millennium BCE

DimensionsH: 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm); W: 1 3/16 in. (3.0 cm); Depth: 1 in. (2.54 cm)

MediumHand-molded earthenware with painted decoration

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of the Popplestone Family

Object number

2006.79

Not on View

DescriptionSeated female figure with short thick legs and narrow, bird-like head with a pointed crest, decorated with umber stripes on the body and large eyes with long lashes.

Label TextThe Halaf culture, dating to the sixth millennium BCE in Northern Mesopotamia, was composed of small, agrarian villages spread across modern-day Syria, Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. Initially thought to be a homogeneous, pan-Mesopotamian culture due to its ceramics, recent research highlights regional and chronological diversity. Settlements were largely egalitarian, with no clear evidence of centralized elites, and relied on agriculture, pastoralism, and skilled craft-making. While Halaf identity is primarily defined through ceramics, figurines provide additional insight. Typically small and hand-modeled from clay, these figurines often depict young adult females with exaggerated features, possibly for symbolic purposes. Earlier interpretations linked them to goddess worship or social stratification, but newer studies suggest a more complex cultural role.Published ReferencesFragments of Time, Ancient Art XXXVI (2005) No. 4.