The Main Hall of the Hypogeum. There have been many interpretations as to the function of the recesses in the wall. It is thought that they could have served as niches where standing statues could have been placed for votive reasons or as ex-votos. Another hypothesis is that the recesses served as sleeping cubicles (must have been rather uncomfortable) where the occupant would have been in some kind of healing or religious trance. Yet another hypothesis is that in the recesses, human bodies were placed before the final burial in the Hypogeum - thus using the depths of this underground mausoleum as the womb of the 'mother earth' to regenerate life back to the deceased. The shape of this Hall, could have been intended to replicate the round rooms in the temples above ground . The hypogeum provides with important clues as to the appearance of the temple interiors before they fell into ruin, and strongly suggest that these temples were roofed. A small (12cm) beautiful clay statuette was found in a pit next to this Hall. Known as the 'Sleeping Lady' it depicts a corpulent woman 'asleep' (or dead) on a reed couch.