The Collection of Terracotta Figurines in the British School at Athens

In the following article we will present and discuss more than 150 terracotta figurines that form part of the Collection of Antiquities housed at the British School in Athens. The majority of these artefacts originate from private collections bequeathed by men of culture and illustrious scholars (i.e. George Finlay, G. Empedokles, T. J. Dunbabin). However, there is a small group within the Collection that consists of pieces both brought to light from excavations and found by chance by British archaeologists working in Greece. This group of terracotta figurines dates from a period that ranges from the end of the 7th century B.C. to the second half of the 4th century A.D. and with time, this initially small collection grew in scale and importance. The largest group of objects in the collection belongs to the prolific terracotta production of Boeotia. However, many other terracotta workshops from places such as Cyprus, Eastern Greece, Attica, Corinth and Argolid, are well represented. The majority are common types but there are several remarkable exceptions which shed light on our knowledge of ancient terracotta production. This examination of terracotta figurines will be concluded with a group of more recent artefacts currently part of the Collection at the Museum of the British School in Athens