Figurine enigmas: who's to know?

Abstract

Should a public archaeology exhibition focus on objects as objects, or should it also explain something of where they come from and processes of interpreting them? If background is necessary, then how much is needed to make sense of the exhibits? Two recent exhibitions offered different answers. The first was largely descriptive, the second theoretical, and specifically, ‘post-processualist’. Both featured prehistoric anthropomorphic figurines of fired clay. Whether or not because ‘themore human, the less intelligible’ (Hawkes 1954: 162), figurines are among the most intriguing and enigmatic finds. What were they for, and what did they mean? Why do they captivate us today; and how should archaeologists cater for that interest?

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