Les figurines animales dans le Proche-Orient ancien aux époques historiques

On the basis of specific cases studies and recently published literature, this article attempts to synthesize the problems with which the archaeologist is faced when dealing with zoomorphic terracottas excavated from historical sites in the Middle East, from the preliminary analysis of the data (including technical, figurative and contextual aspects) to its interpretation. The aim is to provide control for every stage of the investigation; to clarify a confused and ambiguous terminology; and finally to bring to light the specific nature of the zoomorphic figurines while incorporating them into the wider corpus of terracottas and indeed into the whole range of animal images found in given sites or regions during particular periods.