A Study on the Nature and Use of Female Statuettes of Neo-Lithic era (case study: west of Iran)

With the entrance of human into the neo-lithic era and the change in a means of livelihood from food gathering to food production through farming, the creation of artistic and symbolic works developed too. The consequence of a farming as a source of livelihood and the dependence of the man to the lands was fertility of the lands. The neo-lithic man was trying to find different ways to use and benefit more from the land and consequently develop the farming. Natural phenomena that affected his life seemed to be unpredictable, unpreventable and everlasting. Therefore, the neo-lithic human tried to enjoy the blessing of life and avoid its agonies with the help of his beliefs and ceremonies. In fact, being dependent to the surrounding environment and nature, the neo-lithic man always attempted to dominate the natural factors. Thus, creation of symbols and statuette were considered to achieve this goal. The creation of the female statuettes and exaggeration in presenting their fertility organs revealed the fact that these statuettes were used as symbols of reproductively and fertility to guarantee the products of farming and keep it safe against vagaries.