Spain (Ibiza)

Terracotta "Dama de Ibiza" from the Puig des Molins Necropolis

3115

Date Created: Circa 4th to 3rd century BCE (specifically associated with the Punic-Phoenician period in the Western Mediterranean). Period: The Late Classical to Early Hellenistic Period (Punic Era in Ibiza), an era marked by flourishing Phoenician maritime trade, syncretic religious cults, and sophisticated terracotta coroplastic art across the Balearic Islands.

Votive Statuette and Grave Offering (Ex-voto): Functionally, thousands of such terracotta figurines were deposited as funerary offerings inside the rock-cut tombs of the Puig des Molins necropolis, acting as protective companions or divine proxies for the deceased. Symbol of Punic Fertility and Goddess Worship (Tanit / Astarte): The statuette represents a syncretic Phoenician-Punic goddess (frequently associated with Tanit or Astarte), symbolizing eternal rebirth, divine protection, fertility, and aristocratic status.