This Etruscan terracotta figurine of a goddess may have been a decoration from a temple or a votive offering. The figure resembles either the Greek corn-goddess Demeter or her daughter Persephone, known as Ceres and Proserpina respectively by the Romans.
Grain was a staple in the ancient diet and its growing, storage and distribution was a matter of survival. A number of festivals to the goddesses were celebrated throughout the agricultural year. Such offerings can be viewed as commercial transactions between the worshipper and the goddess, an inducement for a successful crop or tangible proof of gratitude towards a divinity for listening to a prayer.
