La fille au pavot dans la coroplathie archaïque. Histoire et interpretations des relations symboliques

Among the clay figurines coming from the votive deposit of Catania, one of the most interesting iconographies is the young girl holding a poppy capsule. Such iconography is attested by a large number of statuettes and several different types of high quality and often remarkable dimensions. A large part of this group of figurines has been probably moulded by a same atelier closely linked to the shrine. The large number of these figurines inside the Catania deposit suggests the important role played by this attribute into the votive system of the sanctuary, and makes the starting point of a research concerning the poppy, its history and meaning, as an attribute of the female world. The analysis of the figurative representations - those most relevant to the subject matter - and the literary sources concerning the poppy, will allow us to highlight the properties of poppy, its use, the versatily of this attribute, the interpretations of the relationship between poppy and female world. As far as the votive system of the Catania deposit is concerned, the poppy attribute can be related to prenuptial ages and rites.