Head of a Male Banqueter (Left)

The oval face tilts slightly to the right while the open mouth leaves the teeth visible. The small eyes have downturned outer corners and thickened eyelids; the nose is straight. The figure wears ornamental headgear added to the head and a wreath, probably with three rosettes, distinctive to the Tarentine area. The head can be assigned to the type of the young, beardless banqueter represented in the act of singing, found in Tarentine production from the end of the fifth to the first half of the fourth centuries B.C.

Hundreds of banqueters and other terracotta figurines have been found in votive deposits in or around ancient cemeteries at Taranto. Various interpretations have been proposed for the reclining banqueter type – gods, local heroes or the deceased as a hero – and a specific identity may vary according to context. What does seem likely is that these figures were connected to specific ritual and funerary practices.