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A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small statue that represents a human, deity or animal, or in practice a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with pottery, metal, wood, glass, and today plastic or resin the most significant. Ceramic figurines not made of porcelain are called terracottas in historical contexts. Figures with movable parts, allowing limbs to be posed, are more likely to be called dolls, mannequins, or action figures; or robots or automata, if they can move on their own. Figurines and miniatures are sometimes used in board games, such as chess, and tabletop role playing games. ==Prehistory== In China, there are extant Neolithic figurines.〔Li Liu, ''The Chinese Neolithic: Trajectories to Early States'', 2004, Cambridge University Press, 328 pages ISBN 0-521-81184-8〕 Prehistoric figurines of pregnant women are called Venus figurines, because of their presumed representation of a goddess, or some connection to fertility. The two oldest known examples are made of stone, were found in Africa and Asia, and are several hundred thousand years old. Many made of fired clay have been found in Europe that date to 25-30,000 BC, and are the oldest ceramics known. In Minoan Crete terracotta figurines manifesting facial detail have been recovered from the Iron Age strata.〔(C.Michael Hogan, ''Phaistos Fieldnotes'', The Modern Antiquarian (2007) )〕 These early figurines are among the first signs of human culture. One cannot know in some cases how they were used. They probably had religious or ceremonial significance and may have been used in many types of rituals. Many are found in burials. Some may have been worn as jewelry or intended to amuse children. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「figurine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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