Hittite, 14th-13th century BC Probably from Anatolia (modern
Turkey) This beautiful figurine of a young Hittite girl is made
of ivory. Her hair is drawn back and hangs in a pig-tail down
her back. She stands in a formal pose with her hands by her
sides. The proportions of the figure, lacking curves, show her
youth. The treatment is naturalistic except for the stylized
ears and the triangles indicating the knees. The pubic triangle
was originally inlaid, and other parts of the ivory may have
been covered in precious metal. The function of the figurine is
unknown, but ivory was widely used in the ancient world to
decorate furniture The dowel hole in the square base of the
figure suggests it was once attached to something. From around
1650 BC a Hittite king rebuilt Hattusa (modern Bogazköy) and
made it his capital. Between about 1400 and 1200 BC the Hittites
established one of the great empires of the ancient Near East,
extending into western Anatolia and south into Syria. They
adopted many of the traditions of