Objects made of one of the most fragile and inexpensive materials, clay, are valuable witnesses to the past of Greece. Vessels, entire or in sherds, decorated or not, have survived in their thousands and provide us with invaluable information on the daily life of the ancient Greeks.
Figurine of a child on a goose
Amphipolis, end of 4th-first half of 3rd century BC
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The shapes, decoration, and technical characteristics of their production attest the financial status of their owners as well as the artistic standards of a region at a particular time. In turn, the clay figurines (small-scale sculptures) reveal man's religious convictions since they were used as offerings in temples and graves.
In Macedonia the use of clay for the production of vessels and figurines began as early as 6000 BC, when the area entered the Neolithic period, and its inhabitants, having established permanent settlements, took up stock-breeding and agriculture.
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