Opium poppy capsules

These votive terracotta models dating to the Hellenistic period and originating from an unknown but Taranto-related context, are models of opium poppy capsules (Papaver Somniferum). These are identifiable by the presence of 8–13 radiating stigmatic rays on the fruit. The poppy fruit contains thousands of seeds that are used in the food sector and like the pomegranate, it symbolises the promise of many children: this explains its connection, as a symbol of fertility, to various female divinities (Hera, Demeter, Kore (Persephone), and Aphrodite) concerned with the delicate transition from a sexually mature girl ready for marriage (nymphè) to a married woman and mother (gynè).