Terracotta votive figure of a young infant, Roman, 200 BCE-200 CE
Objects like this were often left at healing sanctuaries and other religious sites as offerings to gods such as Asklepios, the Greco-Roman god of medicine. Usually as a plea for help at times of ill health or as thanks for a cure, this offering of a young swaddled infant may indicate a sick child who needs healing or was perhaps given in the hope that a woman might become pregnant. Made from bronze or terracotta, as in this case, a large range of different votives were made and offered up in their thousands. Although it originated in earlier cultures, this practice became very popular in Roman Italy – particularly between the 400s and 100s BCE.
Object number:
A636026
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: amulet
Small object or piece of jewellery worn as a protecting charm to ward off ill health and bad luck.
Glossary: votive offering
Objects or monuments donated by an individual for a public place or shrine. The object is usually given in gratitude for deliverance from distress.