Idol, folded-arm form

One of the more enigmatic artifacts of the ancient Mediterranean world is the type of marble figurine found mainly in western Anatolia or in the Aegean islands of the Cyclades. These starkly abstract human figures dating from the 3rd millennium B.C. display a remarkable purity of form, but their purpose is unknown. Originally, many of these objects were deposited lying on their backs in tombs or shrines.