NEW INSIGHTS INTO EASTERN LYDIAN SCULPTURE: AN ANALYSIS OF A RECENTLY DISCOVERED MARBLE HECATE STATUETTE FROM THE BLAUNDOS EXCAVATIONS
NEW INSIGHTS INTO EASTERN LYDIAN SCULPTURE: AN ANALYSIS OF A RECENTLY DISCOVERED MARBLE HECATE STATUETTE FROM THE BLAUNDOS EXCAVATIONS

Summary/Abstract: This article focuses on a newly discovered triple Hecate statuette unearthed during archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Blaundos in Eastern Lydia. Although the cult and representations of Hecate were already known in the region, the Blaundos statuette introduces new typological and iconographic features that offer fresh perspectives on the local sculptural repertoire. While the piece has the form of a free-standing statuette, it is carved with locally distinctive craftsmanship exhibiting relief-like characteristics. Its three-headed, single-bodied design represents a relatively rare type within the area. The attributes depicted on the statuette provide new insights into the iconography and origins of Hecate in Lydia and Phrygia. The dog, a primary attribute of the goddess, along with a ram’s head and a grape cluster, appear for the first time on this statuette within the regional Hecate sculptural corpus. In this context, the statuette, considered to be a local production from Eastern Lydia, is analyzed and dated in the article with a focus on its typological, iconographic and stylistic characteristics.

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