A nude man is hard to find

Tracing the development of Mycenaean late palatial iconography for a male deity

Abstract

Representations of the human body are prominent in LBA Aegean iconography, but they are not differentiated by means of the primary sexual organs. A large wheel-made terracotta phallus fragment from Tiryns departs significantly from this iconographic convention. Contextual and comparative analyses of the find, as well as the site’s historical setting, highlight its unique performative qualities in libation practices and point to Levantine influences in the conception of this male figure. In the present article, we argue that the figure may have functioned as a cult image; this hypothesis is discussed in the light of growing evidence for larger male figures in the archaeological record of the Mycenaean late palatial period. Such male figures indicate the incipient iconography for male deities, which was previously lacking in Mycenaean imagery. Set against the socio-political background of the Argolid in the late 13^th century B.C.E., this iconographic development may be connected to the emergence of absolutist rulership.