Marion Terracottas
Since 1983, the ancient cities of Marion and Arsinoe, located on the northwest coast of Cyprus, have been the focus of archaeological investigation by a research team under the auspices of Princeton University. The material remains are significant, as Marion was one of the ancient city kingdoms of the island during the Iron Age, and Arsinoe was a thriving Hellenistic foundation that continued in existence throughout the Roman, Late Antique, and Byzantine periods, ultimately evolving into the modern town of Polis Chrysochous. After an overview of the recent excavations of both sites, the lecture will consider the immense cache of terracotta sculpture discovered in two sanctuaries associated with Marion. The votive offerings represent the largest corpus of dedicatory objects yet recovered from Cyprus. Study of the material has provided important information on cult ritual; the exchange of religious, cultural, and stylistic influences in the eastern Mediterranean; and the technical strategies employed by ancient coroplasts.
Nancy Serwint teaches ancient art and archaeology with a focus on the cultures of the eastern Mediterranean basin. She received her doctoratein classical archaeology from Princeton University in 1987 and a master'sfrom the same institution in 1983. Prior to that she received an master's in art history (ancient) from the University of Chicago in 1977, and her bachelor's in classics (ancient Greek) was awarded in 1973 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.As a classical archaeologist, Serwinthas worked on excavations in Sicily (Morgantina), in the Athenian Agora, at ancient Corinth, and since 1983 at ancient Marion/Arsinoe in Cyprus. Her research focus has been varied with investigation and publications dealing with ancient athleticism and athletic representations in the Greek sculptural repertoire and gender issues in Cyprus and the ancient Near East. Her recent work is devoted to the study of the coroplastic arts of Cyprus and ancient Israel, focusing on production and manufacturing strategies, cross-cultural stylistic influences, and the role played by terracotta votive sculpture in cult ritual and religious worship.