The remains of a whole. Multi-materiality of prehistoric figurines

The study of prehistoric anthropomorphic figurines has been profoundly influenced by several major studies and publications. Notable among these are P. Ucko’s comprehensive work on Egyptian, Cretan, Near Eastern, and Greek Neolithic figurines; M. Gimbutas’ investigations into the identification of cults and Neolithic spirituality; M. Voigt’s specific contextual analysis; D. Bailey’s examination of cognitive perspectives and political functions of figurines, and S. Hansen’s corpus on southeast European Neolithic and Copper Age figurines. R. Lesure, in his theoretically inclined book, argued that many existing studies oscillate between broad generalizations and specific contextual analyses dominated by the interpreter’s perspective. Lesure advocates a linear process of iconographic analysis as a foundational step toward balancing general and contextual insights. While agreeing with him, we think a more basic issue should be raised. When modern scholars discuss viewpoints such as those made possible by holding and handling a figurine, they often implicitly assume the completeness of the artifacts and engage in a phenomenological discourse. This assumption suggests that the inorganic material remains of the figurines directly correlate with past human relationships with these objects. While we do not dismiss the typological relevance of the archaeological remains, we emphasize the importance of considering the complexity of these artifacts. Notably, attention to any hints of missing organic parts – such as holes, inlays, or different treatments of the surface – can reveal that finished objects likely appeared significantly different from the simple inorganic matter available to archaeologists today. In this paper, we explore some cases of multi-materiality, both highly conservative archaeological cases from Predynastic Egypt and recent/modern African dolls, as well as modern and contemporary Western and Italian figurines. We find this apt to credit Louis for his visionary approach to things, that typically goes beyond the surface. As we shall demonstrate, the core items and outer additions are crucial elements in understanding the full context and significance of figurines.