Solid Cast Lead Hen from Caesarea Maritima

[v-drome]

Hi, all.  Here is a very cute cast led hen? from Caesarea.  Any information or corrections would be appreciated!  
Thanks, V-drome

BCC L22
Votive Lead Hen
Greco-Roman? Eastern
1st-6th Century CE?
Solid cast lead hen intended for votive use?  The obverse and reverse are identical in
shape, but with very slightly different decoration on each side, consisting of dots and
lines to represent the feathers and patterns.  A mold line is visible running around the
figure, suggesting a two-part mold, but the exact method of casting is not certain.  Hens
and roosters were popular motifs in ancient Roman art and artifacts, but the function
of this piece is uncertain.  Any suggestions or further information would be welcome.
2.95cm x 2.5cm. x 0.55cm.  10.70gm.
Surface find Caesarea Maritima, 1973
(Click for larger pic)

[SC]

I have a similar one, though the body of mine is smoother.  Mine was a middle Danubian region find.

Believe it or not, there is a 379-page phd thesis called "Chickens in the Archaeological Material Culture of Roman Britain, France, and Belgium"!!!

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/109855647.pdf

No, I have not read it all.  And no, it does not appear to have an exact parallel to either mine or yours. 

But it does confirm things I had heard from elsewhere - that they are often associated with Mercury, that they could substitute for the sacrifice of an actual chicken in earlier times, etc.

SC

[v-drome]

Fantastic!  Thank you very much, Shawn.