Traces of 2,000-Year-Old Motherhood Cult Discovered in Türkiye

Five small terracotta figurines uncovered at the ancient site of Tatarlı Höyük in southern Türkiye are offering a rare look at how motherhood, childcare, and protective beliefs shaped domestic life in Hellenistic Cilicia. These unique artifacts, found in residential spaces rather than grand temples, suggest that the deeply personal anxieties of childbirth and infant survival were managed through intimate household rituals. The discovery highlights a localized expression of a widespread Mediterranean phenomenon, where maternal protection was elevated to the divine.
The figurines were found in the Citadel area of Tatarlı Höyük, a prominent mound settlement situated near Mustafabeyli in the Adana province. Strategically positioned in eastern Plain Cilicia, the site was a major hub along ancient trade routes linking Anatolia, northern Syria, and the wider Mediterranean. Since 2007, excavations under Prof. Dr. K. Serdar Girginer of Çukurova University have revealed continuous habitation from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period. The study of these specific Hellenistic figurines was published in the 2026 issue of the journal Höyük by researchers Mehmet Cevher and Girginer.
Sacred Protectors of the Ancient Household
Four of the newly analyzed terracotta figurines depict women carrying children, while the fifth and most remarkable specimen shows a woman breastfeeding an infant. They belong to a widely recognized class of ancient votive objects known as kourotrophos, a Greek term meaning “child nurturer”. In the ancient world, these figurines were deeply associated with fertility, successful childbirth, and the protection of newborns.
john-syrigos www.Ancient-Origins.net – Reconstructing the story of humanity’s past
Source: https://www.ancient-origins.net/traces-2000-year-old-motherhood-cult-discovered-t-rkiye-00102820
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