Goddess on the Throne

Goddess on the Throne (Albanian: Hyjnesha në fron), is a terracotta figurine found at the site of the Tjerrtorja spinning mill in Prishtina, the capital city of Kosovo,[lower-alpha 1] in 1956. The seated terracotta figure is a well-preserved specimen of small Neolithic plastic Vinca culture (also known as Turdas culture in Kosova). It measures 18.5 cm high and is dated to 5700–4500 BC.[1]

The Goddess on the Throne (5700–4500 BC) at the Kosova Museum, in Pristina

The figurine represents a female deity, reflecting the cult of the great mother idol. It is preserved in the Kosova Museum, which has adopted the idol as its logo. One of the most precious archaeological artifacts of Kosova, it has also been adopted as the symbol of the city of Prishtina.[2]

The figurine was discovered by experts from the National Museum of Serbia in 1956.[3] Goddess on the Throne was stolen in late 1998 by the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Gallery for their exhibition titled Arheološko blago Kosova i Metohije - od neolita do ranog Srednjeg veka (Archeological Treasure of Kosovo and Metohija - from the Neolithic Period to Middle Ages). Following the Kosovo War the figure was kept in Belgrade. In 2002, the-then President of the Coordination Center for Kosovo and Metohija Nebojša Čović returned the figurine to Priština as "a sign of goodwill towards Kosovo Albanians".[3] This occurred after the insistence of then UN overseer Michael Steiner. [4]

The figurine became a symbol of the culture of Kosovo Albanians.[3]

Today. 1200 artifacts found in Kosova remain in Serbia, despite numerous appeals for their return by the Kosovar people. [5]