Some Unpublished Mycenaean Figurines from the Serraglio on Kos and Their Cultural Significance

This contribution discusses the Mycenaean terracotta figurines that were recovered during the excavations conducted on Kos by L. Morricone. In addition to the known specimens from the Langada cemetery, this article also presents eight previously unpublished figurines discovered at the nearby settlement of the Serraglio. While these ‘new’ figurines mostly lack contextual information, they still provide valuable data about Mycenaean culture on Late Bronze Age Kos and the wider SASCAR (southeast Aegean-southwest coastal Anatolian region). The results of this research indicate that terracotta figurines appeared in the area of the Serraglio during the Palatial phases of Mycenaean civilization, first as Argive imports and soon after also as locally made items. As such, they represented one of the many features that were adopted on Kos during the period of the highest socio-cultural integration between the Greek mainland and the local community. After the end of Late Helladic (LH) IIIB, Mycenaean figurines continued to be used also throughout the following LH IIIC phase. Koan figurines show the occurrence of local idiosyncrasies both in decorative treatments and consumption patterns. The former were more pronounced during LH IIIA2 and LH IIIB, while the latter were more prominent during LH IIIC. Similar local preferences were also typical of Rhodes, confirming the occurrence of distinctive regional trends in Mycenaean material culture from the Dodecanese. Within the wide range of Mycenaean features adopted in this area, terracotta figurines never became particularly common. Thus, overall, they did not represent a defining element of the local cultural identity.