What is a Cycladic idol?

Cycladic figurines (sometimes called “Cycladic idols”) are among the most enigmatic and most evocative objects from Greek prehistory. Usually of relatively small dimensions, they are highly stylised depictions of the human form, made of local Cycladic marble, which was carved and then polished.Click to see full answer. Similarly one may ask, what purpose did the Cycladic figurines serve?The available data allows only for some general remarks. On one hand, the marked standardization and conservatism of Cycladic figurines (especially the type of nude standing female) makes it likely that they functioned as major religious symbols.Additionally, where is Cycladic art and culture from? The ancient Cycladic culture flourished in the islands of the Aegean Sea from c. 3300 to 1100 BCE. Along with the Minoan civilization and Mycenaean Greece, the Cycladic people are counted among the three major Aegean cultures. Cycladic art therefore comprises one of the three main branches of Aegean art. Accordingly, what was likely the purpose of the Cycladic female idols? Their most likely function is as some sort of religious idol and the predominance of female figures, sometimes pregnant, suggests a fertility deity. Supporting this view is the fact that figurines have been found outside of a burial context at settlements on Melos, Kea and Thera.How were Cycladic funerary sculptures placed?Page 90 your answer: 3 Describe the placement of Cycladic funerary sculpture. Archaeologists believed that these funerary sculptures were placed on their backs in the graves—lying down like the deceased. They could represent those buried or could be fertility figures or goddesses; this is still open to debate.