| Chapter 2: | Female Figures in Eurasian Neolithic Iconography |
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Chapter 2
Female Figures
in Eurasian Neolithic
Iconography
The Magical Dance/Stance
Thousands of female figures, dating to the very early, middle, and late Neolithic,1 have been found throughout Eurasia. These female figures represented women in all phases of life and were found in many different contexts, including that of the grave. It is likely that the grave, in many instances, represented the womb; when one returned to the womb of the Great Mother, one went to the place from which rebirth ensued. In other words, the place of death is the place of rebirth. The “Great” goddess was a goddess of the life continuum, of birth, death, and rebirth.