<P> Laocoön and His Sons (Late Hellenistic), Vatican Museum </P> <Li> <P> Late Hellenistic bronze of a mounted jockey, National Archaeological Museum, Athens </P> </Li> <P> Late Hellenistic bronze of a mounted jockey, National Archaeological Museum, Athens </P> <P> Clay is a material frequently used for the making of votive statuettes or idols, even before the Minoan civilization and continuing until the Roman period . During the 8th century BC tombs in Boeotia often contain "bell idols", female statuettes with mobile legs: the head, small compared to the remainder of the body, is perched at the end of a long neck, while the body is very full, in the shape of a bell . Archaic heroon tombs, for local heroes, might receive large numbers of crudely - shaped figurines, with rudimentary figuration, generally representing characters with raised arms . </P>

What was the hellenistic style and how did it differ from the earlier classical style