Late Roman/Byzantine Bone Sculpture of a Woman

In the Late Roman world, where Christianity was the dominant force, there were still holdovers from an earlier pagan time. This bone doll seems to be one of the last remnants of an ancient cult that stretches back to the Astarte of the Babylonians, the Isis of the Egyptians, and the Venus of the Romans. This most essential of goddesses would soon be supplanted by the Christian Madonna, though here she retains her pagan dignity. She is a poignant reminder of a world in transition, a culture balance between the ancient and medieval eras.