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Figural Female Questions...

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Mayadigger:
Ave!

Lead; 70mm/20.4gm Ground-found in Western Ukraine

As seen in the first photo:

A sadly headless but very elegant representation of a high-breasted woman dressed in Greek fashion (peplos-himation?);
about her neck she wears a necklace with facial pendent, and a girdle about her waist. In her right hand she holds...? At bottom a concave crimp.
The reverse is flat and unadorned.

Questions -

#1) Who does she represent? A goddess? A priestess? Or...?
#2) What does the pendent she is wearing represent? See the next two photos
#3) What is she holding in her right hand?
#4) Why the concave crimp?

Any and all of your thoughts will be highly appreciated!

Akropolis:
A goddess (Athena?) with the head of Medusa on her breast plate?
PeteB

SC:
Yes, I think the gorgoneion almost certainly signifies an Athena.

These lead votive items are apparently fairly local in style and distribution.  For example, one region will have many of the three ladies/three fates, another regional will have a goddess standing in a small temple/aedicula, another Fortuna, etc.  They often come from very few moulds.  It seems they may have been made at religious/shrine sites for local use.  Likely actually made and sold by the temple staff as a way of making money.  Kind of like votive candles in Christian churches today.

So it is quite possible that this comes from some local shrine or temple, in which case it may have been a local goddess-Athena hybrid. 

SC

Mayadigger:
Thanks guys!

But what is she holding?

A lasso or a bridle? Or?

v-drome:
Hi Maya.  Goddess of wisdom and warfare.  It would be a shield, like this:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=96421

nice piece!

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