Two horse figurines, one of which had a human figure sitting sideways on its back (only the legs and part of the torso are preserved). Similar figurines are found frequently in Geometric sanctuaries and primarily at Olympia, possibly the provenance of these examples. The production of cast bronze figurines of votive character began in the first half of the 8th c. BC in major workshops at Argos, Corinth and in Laconia, and minor ones in other regions of the Peloponnese, Central Greece and the islands (especially Crete). They were intended as offerings in sanctuaries and represent male figures (deities, warriors, horsemen, charioteers) and various animals (mainly horses and bovines). They are also encountered as decorative devices on handles of bronze votive cauldrons. The host of equine figurines seems to reflect the significance of the horse during the Geometric period, not only as a means of military superiority but also as a symbol of social status. Such symbolic connotations are suggested by references in the Homeric epics and by scenes of battle and ceremonial processions on Geometric vases. However, the figurines must have been invested also with religious symbolisms, particularly if the seated human figure −in a pose that precludes the case of a rider− represented a deity, as some researchers have proposed for similar examples.