Horse figurines from Hala Sultan Tekke

Abstract

During the 2017 season at Hala Sultan Tekke, the head of an equid figurine was found (N100, fig. 1a-b). The figurine is remarkable in being a very ‘naturalistic’ piece with a high degree of sensitivity to the features of the animal. The features of the equid are carefully modelled with short ears, wide-set eyes marked both by raised and indented eye sockets (possibly at one point containing inlays), indented nostrils, and mouth shown as open. The mane is rendered by a low-raised and perpendicularly incised ridge along the back of the neck, while the forelock falls onto the crown of the head, marked incisions that follow the line of the head, indicating a falling rather than erect mane. Taken together, these features suggest that the equid is a horse (Equus caballus). This is in line with the horse being the most frequently depicted equid in Cyprus in this period.