Description

This work studies a rare collection of statues and statuettes from Cilicia, including an examination of a Dolichenian hand from Comana in Commagene, and a short description of 20 antique statuettes from the Museum of Hatay, ancient Antioch. The volume opens with a short overview of the historical events that shaped Cilicia, a coastal region in south-eastern Anatolia, from the end of the protohistoric period to Late Antiquity, and also a brief summary of the archaeological collections and museums established in the region. As well as examining the items still remaining in the area, the authors have also included Cilician bronzes curated in museums in Istanbul, Paris and London. Two appendices describe the bronzes of neighbouring regions: a remarkable hand with Dolichenian reliefs, found at Comana in Commagene and now preserved at Adana. In Appendix 2 the authors provide summary descriptions of 20 bronze statuettes in the Museum of Hatay, ancient Antioch, several of them directly paralleled in Cilicia. Most of these figurines testify to a supply of high-quality statuettes, some of which were produced locally. The Egyptian cults are slightly better represented here than in Cilicia, with two Osiris figurines and one of the sacred bull, Apis.