▁before ▁the ▁introduction ▁of ▁h ollow ▁casting , ▁about ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁ 6 th ▁century ▁BC . ▁The ▁most ▁primitive ▁vot ive ▁stat u ettes ▁are ▁ox en ▁and ▁other ▁animals , ▁which ▁evidently ▁represent ▁vict ims ▁offered ▁to ▁the ▁gods . ▁They ▁have ▁been ▁found ▁abund antly ▁on ▁many ▁temple ▁sites . ▁But ▁classical ▁art ▁preferred ▁the ▁human ▁subject , ▁vot aries ▁holding ▁g ifts ▁or ▁in ▁their ▁ordinary ▁gu ise , ▁or ▁gods ▁themselves ▁in ▁human ▁form . ▁Such ▁figures ▁are ▁frequently ▁ins cribed ▁with ▁formulas ▁of ▁dedic ation . ▁God s ▁and ▁god d esses ▁pos ed ▁conform ably ▁with ▁their ▁traditional ▁characters ▁and ▁bearing ▁their ▁distinct ive ▁attributes ▁are ▁the ▁most ▁numer ously ▁represented ▁class ▁of ▁later ▁stat u ettes . ▁They ▁are ▁a ▁religious ▁genre , ▁appearing ▁first ▁in ▁ 4 th - century ▁sculpt ure ▁and ▁particularly ▁fav oured ▁by ▁H ellen istic ▁sentiment ▁and ▁Roman ▁ped antry . ▁Many ▁of ▁them ▁were ▁doubt less ▁vot ive ▁figures , ▁others ▁were ▁images ▁in ▁domestic ▁shr ines , ▁and ▁some ▁were ▁certainly ▁orn aments . ▁Among ▁the ▁cult - id ols ▁are ▁the ▁dan cing ▁L ares , ▁who ▁carry ▁corn uc op ias ▁and ▁lib ation - bow ls . ▁The ▁little ▁Her acles ▁that ▁L ys ipp us ▁made ▁for ▁Alexander ▁was ▁a ▁table - orn ament ▁( ep it ra pez ios ): ▁he ▁was ▁re cl ining ▁on ▁the ▁l ion ' s ▁skin , ▁his ▁club ▁in ▁one ▁hand , ▁a