Matres and Matronae

All depictions are frontal; they appear almost exclusively in threes with at least one figure holding a basket of fruit in her lap and the women are either standing or sitting.

Other motifs include depictions of sacrifice—including burning incense, pigs, bowls filled with fruit—and decorations of fruits, plants, and trees.

In most cases, the votive stones and altars are not found singularly, but rather in groups around temple buildings and cult centers.

Rudolf Simek suggests that the loose hair may point to maidenhood whereas the head dresses may refer to married women, the snakes may refer to an association with the souls of the dead or the underworld, and the children and diapers seem to suggest that the Matres and Matronae held a protective function over the family as well as a particular function as midwives.

[2] Motifs include depictions of sacrifice—including burning incense, pigs, bowls filled with fruit—and decorations of fruits, plants, and trees.