Standing females with arms folded or raised in an attitude of supplication are the commonest types of Mycenaean figurines. They are handmade and called conventionally Phi-type and Psi-type, because of their faint similarity to the corresponding letters of the Greek alphabet (Φ and Ψ). Their garments and jewellery are indicated by painted decoration, while the breasts and the headdress are modelled. Other common types of Mycenaean figurines are those representing animals (mostly bovines), which less frequent are models of chariots, oxcarts, riders, seated females etc. Mycenaean figurine modelling appeared around 1450 BC, almost concurrently with the building of the first palaces and the development of more complex social structures in mainland Greece. The origin of this art should be sought in Minoan tradition, since figurines were totally absent from the Greek mainland during the preceding Middle Helladic and early Late Helladic periods. Nonetheless, Mycenaean figurines soon achieved a high degree of stylistic uniformity and began to be used all over the Mycenaean world. Mycenaean figurines are found frequently in shrines and sanctuaries, houses and graves. Their symbolism was complex and their use probably varied according to circumstance. The female figurines most likely represented goddesses. The zoomorphic figurines perhaps functioned as substitutes for blood sacrifices. As, however, such figurines are often found in children’s graves, it is possible that they were also used as toys.