Knowledge Bank

The figurines of Tureng Tepe are a remarkable collection of terracotta anthropomorphs that are unique in both a micro- and macro-regional context. Their significance has long been recognized, but systematic investigation into this corpus of figurines has not been forthcoming. Previous scholars who have engaged with this material have generally agreed that these figurines are evidence of various kinds of Goddess worship. This study calls that assumption into question on theoretical and empirical grounds. In order to 'test' this hypothesis, this thesis documents the figurines through a revised typology, as well as morphological, stylistic, and contextual analyses. It finds that based on these figurines there is no evidence to suggest the existence of worship of a Mother Goddess. The corollary of performing this analysis was that a reformulation of the fundamental questions at the heart of figurine studies from "what" questions to "how" questions. This shift allows for not only an anthropological analysis of the significance of these figurines vis-a-vis the negotiation of different social identities, but also in terms of cross-cultural analysis. It is proposed that by investigating the semeiotic ideologies that were materialized through figurines, we can begin to build a picture of the process of identity negotiation in the Ancient Near East at both a local and regional scale during the Bronze Age.