Cult Objects of the Neolithic Lengyel Culture: Connections and Interpretation

"Altarpieces" are artefacts characteristic of the Lengyel and Moravian Painted cultures, extending across central Europe from 4800-4300 BC. Ranging from 4-12 cm high, cubic in shape, with a small depression in the top, these clay objects have puzzled archaeologists. After cataloguing the published finds under a new typological system, the author examines the surroundings of those examples found in closed contexts in order to work her way towards an understanding of their function. She examine…