Kourotrophos Figurines Recovered from Tatarlı Höyük

Abstract

Terracotta figurines, which hold a significant place in illuminating the cultural and artistic understanding of ancient societies, became widely used following the mastery of the mold-making technique. Beyond their role in cult ceremonies, these artifacts served as a reflection of daily life. Among the terracotta figurines, which encompass a remarkably diverse repertoire of subjects, those depicting the mother-child relationship occupy a prominent place. Mother and child representations, which first appeared during prehistoric eras, established a long-standing tradition that persisted even into Medieval art. Kourotrophos, a term meaning “child-nurturer/rearer,” is used to define figurines centering on this mother-child bond. It is known that various kourotrophos figurines, depicted in standing or seated poses and carrying children in diverse positions, existed during the Hellenistic Period. This article introduces the kourotrophos figurines unearthed during the excavations in the Citadel section of Tatarlı Höyük, located in Plain Cilicia. The kourotrophos figurines recovered from the Hellenistic layer of Tatarlı Höyük stand out for their provincial style rather than being products of major workshops. These figurines, dating to the Hellenistic period, are analyzed under two main types: women carrying children and women breastfeeding. Evaluated in terms of their context within the Hellenistic building levels and their stylistic characteristics, these finds shed light on the cult practices of the period.

It is declared that scientific and ethical principles were complied with during the preparation of this study and all the works referred are mentioned in the bibliography.

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hoyuk@ttk.gov.tr

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Use of Artificial Intelligence
No artificial intelligence-based tools or applications were used in the preparation of this study. The entire content of the manuscript was produced by the authors in accordance with scientific research methods and academic ethical principles.

Çalışmanın Tasarlanması/Planning of the Study: Yazar/Author-1 (%50) - Yazar/Author-2 (%50)
Veri Toplanması/Collecting Data: Yazar/Author-1 (%60) - Yazar/Author-2 (%40)
Veri Analizi/Data Analysis: Yazar/Author-1 (%50) - Yazar/Author-2 (%50)
Makalenin Yazımı/Writing the Article: Yazar/Author-1 (%50) - Yazar/Author-2 (%50)
Makale Gönderimi ve Revizyonu/ Submission of the Article and Revisions: Yazar/Author-1 (%50) - Yazar/Author-2 (%50)

The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest.

License
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC).

This work is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, the Atatürk Supreme Council for Culture, Language and History, the Turkish Historical Society, Adana Metropolitan Municipality, and Çukurova University. The 2022 excavation season was also financially supported by the Çukurova University Scientific Research Projects Unit (BAP) under project no. SBA– 2022–14645, titled ‘2022 Çukurova University Tatarlı Höyük Excavation and Documentation Studies’. We express our sincere gratitude to all the aforementioned institutions for their support.