Female Votive Psi-Figure

This tiny but detailed female figurine is one of the many of this type found in Greek burials during the Mycenaean Period (ca. 1600-1100 B.C.E.). It takes its name from the Greek letter psi (ψ),because its simple form with raised arms resembles that letter. Archaeologists propose that these sculptures, often found in graves or shrines, represent the mother-goddess. This diety, whose name is lost to us, was associated with both fertility and protection.