Terracotta Figure Lying Down

3D Model

CMNH 10874

Haifa, Syria

Modern

This terracotta figurine is one of a set from Haifa, Syria. While these figurines were purchased as “ancient artifacts from the Baal period,” they have been determined to be fraudulent productions meant to imitate real antiquities. The production of fakes is nothing new to museums and ancient studies. In fact, there have been numerous industries built around selling fake antiquities, ranging from small to massive in size. Factors which contribute to the identification of these objects as imitations include the inscriptions, which are not written in any real language of the area, the style, which does not resemble any authentic, ancient Syrian artifacts, and the background of their purchase, for which very little authenication is recorded.

Image by Jacob Kordeleski, CMNH Department of Archaeology // Hawken School.