Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the MA in Ancient History and Classical Archaeology of Macedonia at the International Hellenic University. The above thesis will concentrate on female statues and figurines in central Macedonia. I was intrigued by the female presentation and I would like to examine this presentation regarding both deities and mortals. The main goal of the thesis is to present the iconographical depiction of female forms and their connection to society. The archaeological sites which are going to be examined are in Thessaloniki, Veroia, Pella and Dion. The number of figurines is quite large; thus, this thesis will focus on Aphrodite, Isis and mortal, ordinary women. Aphrodite is widely represented in the whole ancient Greek world and she is also connected to necropolis regarding Macedonian sites. Isis belongs to the ancient Egyptian cult and her introduction in the Greek world was revolutionary. The Macedonians accepted Egyptian cults and erected sanctuaries to honor them. Mortal women are also a part of art, which reflects the actual conception of the female gender. In order to understand the analysis of the figurines and statues, the first chapter provides general information concerning sculpture and figurines’ production. After that, Aphrodite, Isis and mortal women are going to be presented, because iconography is directly connected to the historical or mythical background and context that surrounds these figures. The next chapter will present the four sites in combination to their findings. Each finding is interpreted based on iconographical and constructional criteria. The conclusions focus on society’s general conceptions regarding the female gender. This thesis was completed with the contribution of the thesis’ supervisor Dr. Tsiafaki