Le terrecotte figurate e l’uso rituale dei signa fictilia nelle aree sacre pubbliche della Pompei preromana. Elementi per una sintesi.

Terracotta figurines from public sanctuaries in pre-Roman Pompeii (IV-II century B.C.) have so far received little attention in the vast literature on the Campanian site, also because of the partial publications of the finds. This paper offers a brief summary about this class of artifacts, giving an overview of the main types attested (busts, Tanagra-style figurines, Eros statuettes, masks, anatomical votives, etc.) and analyzing them according to their contexts of discovery. Going beyond traditional stylistic analysis, votive terracottas may be a valuable tool for exploring issues of cultural, religious and technological interaction between Pompeii and, on the one hand, Magna Graecia, and on the other hand, Etruscan, Italic and Roman world. The “humble” terracotta figurines can also become a medium for political messages, as in the case of the Athena from the Doric temple, so they can contribute to the knowledge of the religious and cultural framework in a crucial moment in the history of the pre-Roman Pompeii.