Female Cyclades idol from the Cyclades
archipelago in the Aegean Sea
With this seemingly modern work of art, one would not expect to see an exhibit manufactured 2,500 years B.C..
The idol, originating from the Greek eidolon, "picture", is a more or less worked, not always fully figuratively formed object of animal and human impressions made of stone, bone, clay and other material. The idol was regarded as a bearer of protective power, which was worshipped as such. As the earliest objectification of magical-religious worship, idols have been proven since the later Paleolithic Age.
Cycladic idol from the island of Amorgos, 2,800 - 2,300 BC, National Archaeological Museum Athens, Inventory No. 3909, reduced head replica of the almost life-size statue of a goddess.
