Dancing Woman with Articulated Limbs

Because these figurines have limbs that move they are often called "dolls." Where they? Perhaps! Children play with all sorts of things, even when they are not supposed to. Did they function exclusively as dolls? Unlikely. Since they probably represent ritual dancers, they could have had a more "serious" religious function. Were these uses mutually exclusive? Not at all! The beauty of figurines is that they could have fulfilled many different roles depending on who held them, and when, and where. Indeed, their roles are still evolving, as today they work as objects that allow us to learn about the lived lives of past people.

Similar examples said to be from Corinth. See, for instance, 1865,0720.36 at the British Museum.