Le terrecotte figurate e l’uso rituale dei signa fictilia nelle aree sacre pubbliche della Pompei preromana. Elementi per una sintesi.

Terracotta figurines from public sanctuaries in pre-Roman Pompeii (IV-II century B.C.) have so far received little attention in the vast literature on the Campanian site, also because of the partial publications of the finds. This paper offers a brief summary about this class of artifacts, giving an overview of the main types attested (busts, Tanagra-style figurines, Eros statuettes, masks, anatomical votives, etc.) and analyzing them according to their contexts of discovery. Going beyond traditional stylistic analysis, votive terracottas may be a valuable tool for exploring issues of cultural, religious and technological interaction between Pom¬peii and, on the one hand, Magna Graecia, and on the other hand, Etruscan, Italic and Roman world. The “humble” terracotta figurines can also become a medium for political messages, as in the case of the Athena from the Doric temple, so they can contribute to the knowledge of the religious and cultural framework in a crucial moment in the history of the pre-Roman Pompeii.