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Terracotta bust of an underworld goddess from Pella, mid-4th century BCE.
Archaeological Museum of Pella, North Macedonia.
The ancient city of Pella, the second capital of the ancient Kingdom of Macedonia, was the birthplace of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. It remained a prosperous metropolis throughout the eventful periods of Macedonian and Roman rule. Correspondingly, the archaeological site of Pella today is a rich source of remains and records from the past, including dozens of tombs dating from 650 to 280 BCE.
The tombs are laden with artefacts of ceramic and precious metals used as grave goods for the burials of men, women, and children of Pella. Death-related deities are among the best-represented sculptures of these assemblages. An example is the bust of an underworld goddess, perhaps Demeter, holding her breasts. Baring the breasts and holding them in a conspicuous gesture of display appears more than once in classical Greek literature, with the famous example of Hecuba's supplication to Hector by exposing the breast that fed him to stop him from risking his life in a man-to-man combat with Achilles (Iliad, 22.79-89). In the history of the visual arts of Eastern Europe, however, this gesture has been a recurring element since Neolithic times. Since the female figurines holding their breasts often appear in cultic and funerary contexts, this gesture was likely believed to represent the power over life and death associated with the divine figure of a mother goddess.
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APA Style
Choubineh, N. (2024, August 30). Terracotta Bust of an Underworld Goddess from Pella. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19367/terracotta-bust-of-an-underworld-goddess-from-pell/
Chicago Style
Choubineh, Nathalie. "Terracotta Bust of an Underworld Goddess from Pella." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified August 30, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19367/terracotta-bust-of-an-underworld-goddess-from-pell/.
MLA Style
Choubineh, Nathalie. "Terracotta Bust of an Underworld Goddess from Pella." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 30 Aug 2024. Web. 30 Dec 2025.
