KUSURA TYPE, EARLY BRONZE AGE II, CIRCA 2700-2400 B.C.

Highly schematic idols such as this coexisted with more naturalistic depictions of the human body and testify to the continuing popularity of abstraction in the art of Early Bronze Age Anatolia. The stylized forms are thought to represent a crouching female that is generally identified as the 'mother goddess' and associated with fertility. Although the precise function of these idols is unclear, their presence in sanctuaries and tombs suggests that they were used as votive offerings or grave gifts. Figures of the Kusura type distinguish themselves through their disc-shaped heads and trapezoidal or pouch-shaped bodies. The present figure is an unusually large and particularly attractive variant, with stumps indicating arms and elegantly rounded forms.
For similar figures, cf. J. Thimme, Art and Culture of the Cyclades in the Third Millenium B.C., Chicago, 1977, nos 517, 519 and 520.