Hellenistic terracotta figurines from Thebes

Important new data that throw light on the history of Thebes (Greece) and its terracotta production, was collected from the excavations of a large cemetery 2 km north-east of the ancient city. The study of terracotta figurines shows that at the end of 4th c. and in the first half of 3rd c. B.C. there are active workshops in Thebes. The Theban craftsmen reveal a high degree of skill to create or to modify types that will be in use for long time. The large output of the local terracotta workshop seems to have been intended mostly to cover local demand; although it was included in a circuit of products dealing mainly with central Greece and Egypt. After the second half of the 3rd c. B.C., in which we see the decrease of the funerary use of clay figurines, the first half of the 2nd century apparently marks a revival of this trend. It is noteworthy that together with the survival of LC types we have new types or reworking of old types to include adjustments due to the local tastes or to the style circulating in that period. The Theban workshops seems to have closed their activity at the end of this period for historical reasons that the recent excavations in Thebes are going to clarify.