Terracotta dolphins from Roman Sardinia

Abstract

The discovery of plastic vessels shaped like dolphins from the coastal centres of Nora and Olbia provides an opportunity to delve into this intriguing artistic category, exploring its form, classification, significance, and symbolism. As an emblem of return from the sea and safe navigation, the dolphin is rarely depicted in the form of a wheel-thrown askos. The uniqueness of the documented figures and their respective discovery contexts, within both cultic and funerary settings, provoke significant reflections on the morphological origin and ritual function of the analysed artifacts, inherently linked to the symbolism of the dolphin in ancient times as a saviour of lives at sea and guardian of the deceased on their journey to the afterlife.

The papers published in this volume were presented at the International Conference “What Can Terracottas Tell Us: Coroplastic Polysemy in the Ancient Mediterranean” (Cagliari – Cittadella dei Musei, 10–12th November 2022) organized under the scientific direction of Romina Carboni, Claudia Cenci and Nicola Chiarenza.