Thronende Göttin (Astarte?)

During the ninth century B. C., Kition was settled by Phoenician immigrants, who erected a holy-site to Astarte the Goddess of Plenty, Love and Death. In this smaller-than-life limestone statue, a sitting woman is probably the cult-image of the Oriental goddess. The arms of the throne are carried by winged Sphinxes, the companions of Astarte, whose fronts are shown as fully-dressed masculine figures. The goddess, with spiral tresses and a long robe, is richly bedecked. The heavy throat-chain and the artistic earrings in the form of smithied hangers are characteristic of Cyprus. The enthroned goddess represents a characteristically Cypriot mixture of styles, with her block form build, her schematic body shape, her manner of carrying her head and her idolatrous character. It rejects the ancient East Greek archetypes and shows the development of Egyptian, Oriental and Greek influences. A. Bernhard-Walcher u.a., Die Sammlung zyprischer Antiken im KHM. Sammlungskataloge des KHM Bd. 2, Wien 1999 (A. Bernhard-Walcher)