Since the dawn of time, man has offered votives
to win the benign favor of his gods. Sometimes
these were perishable gifts of food, or wine, or
livestock; at other times they were figures of
stone, metal, or clay-- votives of a more
enduring nature. The art of the sculpted clay
votive reached its peak in the Hellenistic age,
when the artistic influence of Classical Greece
spread throughout the Mediterranean and near
east. In and around Alexandria-- where the
Olympian gods were mixed freely with those of
Ancient Egypt-- the temples were filled to
overflowing with lively depictions of deities,
royalty, actors, beasts and ordinary folk. As gifts
to the gods, these could not be destroyed, so
periodically the votives were buried in pits to
make room for new offerings. When we look
upon their features today-- sometimes agelessly
beautiful, divine, regal or aloof, sometimes
comic or infinitely wise-- we come face to face
with the human past.
- (PF.1171)
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