Head of a handmade horse figurine found during one of the Acropolis excavation expeditions. Its snout is broken whereas the eyes are not rendered. Preserved are traces of white slip.

Clay animal figurines are encountered frequently as sanctuary dedications during antiquity and the Acropolis has yielded large numbers of them. They usually depict horses, birds, dogs, bovines and goats. The reasons that they have been deposited at shrines remain unknown. They may have been dedicated instead of real animals by those who could not have afforded a sacrifice to the gods; or worshippers could have offered them either to ask for the protection of their herds or thank the gods for their help during hunting.