Mycenaean idols
From the heyday and late Mycenaean culture, which experienced its greatest expansion during the 14th and 13th centuries BC and is named after the famous castle of Mycenae, originate small female clay idols in which the Mycenaean tendency to extreme schematisation becomes clearly visible: Characteristic for these simply formed and painted figurines are a foot-long, belted garment rich in wrinkles on the upper body, a kind of crown and certain arm positions. These types are known today under the names of the Greek letters Phi and Psi, to which they are strikingly similar in their form. The older Phi type stylizes a posture in which - as in prayer - the arms are placed under the breasts. The Psi type shows a ritual gesture with the arms raised on both sides, which is already attested as a gesture of appearance (epiphany) in pictures of gods from the early 2nd millennium BC.
Exhibit of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens
