Iberian Peninsula to the indus

parts, presenting numerous original features, from the raw material (stone, clay, 
hard animal matter) and heterogeneous dimensions to the typology of the context 
(when identifiable: domestic, funerary, ceremonial) and the formal structure. the 
most recent census records over 130 examples attributed to the middle and recent 
neolithic Age. Based on some of the typological, descriptive and interpretive pro-
posals, the production under consideration here can be divided into a number of 
main modules that seem to partially characterize other historical segments as well. 
however, the diverse formal results all share a distinct rigid iconic formulation of 
the almost always nude subjects.
the so-called 
volumetric-naturalistic
(or 
volumetric-ellipsoidal 
or
 volumetric
) 
module appears in the middle-recent neolithic Age, comprising a homogeneous 
series of approximately fifty artefacts associated with funerary contexts (fig. 
1 no. 
8
), the reference model being cuccuru s’Arriu (
cat. no. 6
). the structure is built with 
two main volumetric masses, one for the lower extremities and the other for the bust 
and arms. the two masses are tightly fused, creating a squat, solid base into which 
the cylindrical mass of the head can be inserted.
the figure is either erect or seated. the arms are extended rigidly along the sides 
(
fig. 1, nos. 1, 4, 7
) or bent at an angle in front (
fig. 1, nos. 2, 6),
or exceptionally, 
bent with hands open, resting on the breasts (
fig. 1, no. 5).
the hands joined on the 
breast are a variant seen in the seated figure of Su cangiau de marcu and, without 
the delineation of the hands, in that of cotte’e Baccasa, with markedly protruding 
buttocks. on the head sits a more or less defined “pillbox” hat (a crown? a hairstyle?) 
that comes down to cover the ears, at times elaborately decorated. the face remains 
non-descript, with a simple orthogonal “t” design (eyes-nose), the eyes indicated by 
thin horizontal slits. this model powerfully communicates the maternal dimension 
of women, and explicitly their role as wet-nurses, as suggested by the 
kourotrophos
of perfugas (
fig. 1, no. 6
).
the second dominant model is the
flattened 
geometric
(or 
planar
) one, with 
parts with perforations, primarily realized with stone support (rarely terracotta) 
and documented by nearly a hundred examples, some of which mere fragments. 
the recomposition of the anatomical volumes according to a rigidly geometric vision 
accentuates, in this repertoire, the iconic significance of the female image, here de-
prived of any maternal attribute but recognizable thanks to the explicit expression 
of gender through the presence of breasts.
two main variants can be distinguished – the 
cruciform 
or 
full plaque
(
fig. 1, nos. 
9-15; cat. 7
) and the 
perforated plaque
(
fig. 2 nos. 12-15; cat. no. 8)
. While varying 
in dimension and pose (standing figures), the statuettes share not only their well-de-
fined geometric structure but also certain details, including an anonymous basal 
appendage, construction of a central quadrangular geometric module from which 
emerges the faint relief of the breasts, an occasional slight bulging of the buttocks 
viewed from the side, and an essential anthropomorphic identity in the schematic 
rendering of the face, which is almost devoid of anatomical details other than a 
vertical strip to represent the nose.
the head in the plaque examples is almost always realized with a circular or 
sub-circular shape, with the exception of the trapezoidal head of the san salvatore 
figurine (
fig. 2, no. 4).
Among the variants of the plaque typology, the rare examples 
of clothed figures are of particular interest (
fig. 1, no. 12
). it should also be mentioned 
that the symbolic meaning of these figurations in small three-dimensional statuary 
also informs iconographies on ceramic pieces, as in the planar geometric incision 
on a bowl from masainas.
the chrono-cultural relationship of this geometric model is not always certain. it 
is commonly accepted that the cfr. senorbì variant is related to the ozieri facies while 
the more recent cfr. Porto ferro can be associated with the transition to the Copper 
Age or to its first manifestations (sub-ozieri/filigosa). According to giacomo Paglietti 
(2012), the repertoire of the so-called figures with
 
“intertwined arms” or “hands on 
chest” introduces another distinct model, less common but still formally interesting, 

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89
88
2
1, 2: Cuccuru s’Arrius (Cabras - 
Oristano); 3: Grotta del Guano (Oliena 
- Nuoro); 4: San Salvatore (Cabras 
- Oristano); 5: S’Eredadu (Mamoiada 
- Nuor
o); 6: Su Crucifissu Mannu 
(Porto Torres - Sassari); 7: Anghelu 
Ruju, Tomb XII (Alghero - Sassari); 8: 
Puisteris (Mogoro - Oristano); 9-11: 
Monte Meana C, B, A (Santadi - 
Iglesias); 12: Marinaru (Sassari); 13: 
Anghelu Ruju, Tomb XX b (Alghero - 
Sassari); 14: Monte d’Accoddi, Tomb II 
(Sassari); 15: Porto Ferro (Sassari) (no. 
4 from Paglietti 2008, the others from 
Lilliu 1999; graphics by L. Baglioni)
exemplified by the three statuettes from monte meana-Santadi (
fig. 2, nos. 9-11
) and 
repeated in other sites (conca illonis, Anghelu ruju tomb XXiii). 
this model is characterized by a number of details recalling figurines of the vol-
umetric-naturalistic type (flattened cap, orthogonal eye-nose design, slit eyes, large 
head and pubic triangle), while the position of the arms echoes other right-angle 
solutions of the cruciform type. What makes this repertoire unique, perhaps related 
to the bone matter used as support, is its lean, dynamic structure (visible also when 
viewed laterally). this quality is accentuated by the notable constriction above the 
hips and by some barely visible details (the feet) that clearly express a more natu-
ralistic tendency than the previously described models. 
still other variants (
fig. 2, nos. 1-8
), erect or seated, can be differentiated by the 
overall morphology of the body shape (armless or with triangular arms), head and 
basal appendage, and by the bulging volumes.
it is useful here to devote a brief discussion to the