Over the course of the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods in the territory that is now Syria, great climatic and lifestyle changes came to the populations who lived there. As farming developed, fertility based religions evolved as well. Women, who played an important role in these early societies are represented in stone and clay as early as 10,000 B.C. Fertility figures were made in prolific numbers. Trade between communities led to the use of new materials among the proto-urban societies of the Fourth Millennium. This delicate standing female figure is of the steatopygous type and its pointed head is believed to represent a headdress or coiffure. (Antiquarium Ltd. March 22, 2011)

Provenance:
Antiquarium Gallery, New York 2011
Acquired Antiquarium Gallery 1999
Private collection, Europe, 1980s

Publishing History:
The Good Life: Luxury Objects of the Ancient World. New York. Antiquarium Gallery 1999:4.