Tiny and Fragmented Votive Offerings from Classical Antiquity

This chapter addresses tiny and fragmented votive offerings from the ancient Greco-Roman world. The first half of the chapter surveys different kinds of votive fragmentation, ranging from objects that were physically ruptured before dedication, to conceptually ‘partial’ offerings like tithes and first fruits. I argue that the deliberate or accidental breakage of votives often paradoxically increased the value and meaning of the offering in the eyes of the community and recipient deity. I also introduce the possibility that all votives might be seen as fragments, insofar as they constitute part of a worshiper’s property or converted wealth (an idea inherent in the ancient concepts of dekatē and aparchē). The second half of the chapter then focuses on one particular type of fragmented votive—the model body part. Tiny body parts made in clay and metal began to be dedicated in the Middle Minoan and then the Archaic Greek periods, and continued to appear alongside the life-sized (or near life-sized) anatomical votives that were a feature of later Hellenistic and Roman ritual. I explore some of the possible resonances of these votives’ tiny sizes, emphasizing how far these miniature objects facilitate (or even demand) intimate touch and handling. Finally, I explore the possibility that the miniature votives in Hellenistic and Roman times may have harkened back to the diminutive offerings of earlier periods, thus functioning as symbols of cultural memory, and tiny generators of nostalgia.