The sacred representation of a miniature world: Rituals with figurines and small and miniaturized pottery at the cult place of Kharayeb

The rituals performed in the Phoenician cult places have been reconstructed, above all, on the basis of architectural remains and sculptural finds. It is not known in what part of the rituals ceramics or other types of objects were used, but the role that they played was certainly not secondary. The documentation of the cult place of Kharayeb is an exception, primarily because of the new works carried out in the area by the Italian-Lebanese mission, which have made it possible to reconsider the few data about pottery published by M. Chéhab and I. Kaoukabani. In the study of material, attention has been focused on the use of small and miniaturized pottery. By reference to the recent research on these issues and comparison with similar practices in the Near East and Punic world (and also in the Greek world), some hypotheses concerning the meaning of the practices involving small objects (from figurines to miniature vessels) are proposed.