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New Book. Marianna Castiglione and Ida Oggiano, Giving Voice to Silence: Material and Immaterial Evidence of the Female World and Childhood from the Coroplastic Perspective. Proceedings of the Webinar (September 21–22, 2022), (Transformations and Crisis in the Mediterranean, 1), Roma: CNR Edizioni, 2024, DOI:https://doi.org/10.19282/tcm.01.2024

Marianna Castiglione and Ida Oggiano

Abstract

The open access volume examines terracotta figurines depicting women and children discovered in Cyprus, the Levant, the Greek world, Sardinia, and the Iberian Peninsula, and dating from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period. It explores their iconography, typology, archaeological contexts, and potential meanings to reassess the roles of these two social groups in ancient Mediterranean societies. This research contributes to a broader understanding of the material and immaterial dimensions of women’s and children’s lives, challenging their traditional marginalization in historical narratives.

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Full text

Fig. 1. Cover of the book

Fig. 1. Cover of the book

1This volume, available in open access, gathers the contributions presented during the webinar entitled “Voice to the Silence. Materiality and Immateriality of the Female World and Childhood from the Coroplastic Perspective” held on September 21–22, 2022, at the Institute of Heritage Science of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). This international event was organized within the framework of the PRIN2017 Project “Peoples of the Middle Sea: Innovation and Integration in the Ancient Mediterranean (1600–500 B.C.E.)” with the aim of giving a voice to women and children through archaeological evidence, particularly coroplastic materials, dated from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period. Despite their clear significance in ancient societies, these two groups have often been overlooked by “official history” and in the reconstructions of their communities.

2During the webinar and in the ten contributions included in the volume—addressing terracotta figurines found in Cyprus, the Levant, the Greek world (Greece, Magna Graecia, and Sicily), Sardinia, and the Iberian Peninsula—the marginality of women and children is critically reassessed by an exploration of their multifaceted roles within a diachronic and Mediterranean perspective. The statuettes provide valuable insights into the individuals they portray and the activities they represent, often mirroring key phases in the social lives of women and children within contemporary communities.

3Moreover, the interplay between material culture and intangible sources—such as ancient texts, soundscapes, scentscapes, and bodily movements—enhances our comprehension of ancient Mediterranean societies and their cultural dynamics, offering a more detailed and holistic understanding.

Contents

Lorenzo Nigro, Preface, 11–14

Marianna Castiglione and Ida Oggiano, Introduction, 15–18

Barbara Bolognani, “Images of Women and Children in Pre-Hellenistic Terracotta Figurines from the Northern Levant,” 19–40

Marianna Castiglione, “Framing Women and Children in the Ancient Levant: Insights from Terracotta Figurines,” 41–92

Stephanie Lynn Budin, “Women, Maternity, and Status in Bronze Age Cyprus,” 93–113

Stéphanie Huysecom-Haxhi, “Images of Motherhood in the Votive Deposit of Kirrha: Identification and Interpretation,” 115–133

Giulia Pedrucci, “Statuettes Representing Woman/en with Infant/s in Funerary Contexts in Ancient Italy,” 135–164

Angela Bellia, “Clay Figurines Representing Musicians and Dancers in the Female World and Childhood: Towards an Archaeology of Musical and Dance Performance,” 165–178

Antonella Pautasso, “Parthenoi from Greek Sicily. The Visual Imagery between Coroplastic Art and Lyric in the Archaic Period,” 179–190

Marina Albertocchi, “‘And Received Him in Her Fragrant Breast, with Her Immortal Hands…’: Mothers and Motherhood in the Figurines from Ancient Gela, Sicily,” 191–206

Rosana Pla Orquín, “Made in Clay: Phoenician and Punic Female Imagery from Sardinia,” 207–227

Mireia López-Bertran, “Iberian Coroplastic Artworks (3rd-2nd Centuries B.C.E.): Types and Corporealities,” 229–249

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List of illustrations

Title Fig. 1. Cover of the book
URL http://journals.openedition.org/acost/docannexe/image/4183/img-1.jpg
File image/jpeg, 201k
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References

Electronic reference

Marianna Castiglione and Ida Oggiano, New Book. Marianna Castiglione and Ida Oggiano, Giving Voice to Silence: Material and Immaterial Evidence of the Female World and Childhood from the Coroplastic Perspective. Proceedings of the Webinar (September 21–22, 2022), (Transformations and Crisis in the Mediterranean, 1), Roma: CNR Edizioni, 2024, DOI:https://doi.org/10.19282/tcm.01.2024Les Carnets de l’ACoSt [Online], 24 | 2024, Online since 18 December 2024, connection on 11 February 2025. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/acost/4183; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/12ydh

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Copyright

CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

The text only may be used under licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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