This study examines local and imported terracottasdiscovered in Olbia Pontike depictingthe Mother of the Gods seated on a throne.Two of these were produced in a west Ponticcentre from a single mould imported fromnorthwestern Asia Minor, while the third wasproduced in Olbia based on these two. Inthe original, a lion cub was placed beneaththe goddess’s feet, while in the Olbian versionthe cub was shown in the goddess’s lap.Sphinx images were also included in similarfigurines as throne ornamentations. This motifhad roots in Asia Minor and the western BlackSea region. Design peculiarities find parallelsin northwestern Asia Minor. On a figurine producedfrom a Pergamon mould, the goddesshas seated sphinxes on either side. This styleoriginates in monumental images of the goddesswith sphinxes from Lydia and Cyprus. Theprocess of diminishing the sphinxes’s size, aswell as of their significance in the goddess’siconography, can be followed from south tonorth in the 4th century BC, as such elementsbecome more decorative in Olbia and Callatis.Versions of this simplified model began tobe produced in ancient Greek centres in AsiaMinor in the 3rd–2nd centuries BC.