Female Figurine

ca. 3500-3100 B.C.E.

Female figurines in terracotta and stone have been excavated from Neolithic Period Nubian graves at sites such as El Kadada, suggesting they functioned in the mortuary ritual and perhaps in the afterlife of the deceased. Abbreviated arms, full hips, and incised and painted markings that could indicate tattooing, body decoration, or clothing are characteristic of these figurines.