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Author: Bruce Rimell Publisher: Xibalba Books ISBN: Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 296
Book Description
The art and iconography of the Minoan civilisation of Bronze Age Crete is rightly described as having a refreshing vitality with a fortunate combination of stylisation and spontaneity in which the artist is able to transform conventional imagery into a personal expression. The dynamism, torsion and naturalism evident in Minoan art stands in stark contrast to the hieratic rigidity of other ancient civilisations, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the iconography of the Minoan Epiphany, a set of mainly glyptic (rings, seals, and seal impression) images which appear to depict religious celebrants experiencing direct and seemingly ecstatic encounters with deities. This collection of essays explores this central aspect of Minoan religion, taking a strongly archaeological focus to allow the artefacts to speak for themselves, and moving from traditional ‘representational’ interpretations into ‘embodied’ perspectives in which the ecstatic capabilities of the human body throw new light on Aegean Bronze Age ritual practices. Such ideas challenge rather passive assumptions modern Western observers hold about the nature of religious feelings and experiences, in particular the depictions of altered states of consciousness in ancient art, and the visionary potential of dance gestures. Speculative asides on the potential for a Minoan origin for Classical Greek humanism, and hints in the imagery on ancient Cretan conceptions of the cosmos, are set against sound archaeological theories to explain this lively and dynamic corpus of images. Beautifully illustrated with images and sketches of the relevant artefacts, this wide-ranging volume will stimulate audiences with archaeological, prehistorical and spiritual interests, as well as historians of religion and art. ‘The Minoan Epiphany’ also represents an influential antecendent to the Visionary Humanist philosophy which forms the majority of Bruce’s current independent research interests.
Author: Bruce Rimell Publisher: Xibalba Books ISBN: Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 296
Book Description
The art and iconography of the Minoan civilisation of Bronze Age Crete is rightly described as having a refreshing vitality with a fortunate combination of stylisation and spontaneity in which the artist is able to transform conventional imagery into a personal expression. The dynamism, torsion and naturalism evident in Minoan art stands in stark contrast to the hieratic rigidity of other ancient civilisations, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the iconography of the Minoan Epiphany, a set of mainly glyptic (rings, seals, and seal impression) images which appear to depict religious celebrants experiencing direct and seemingly ecstatic encounters with deities. This collection of essays explores this central aspect of Minoan religion, taking a strongly archaeological focus to allow the artefacts to speak for themselves, and moving from traditional ‘representational’ interpretations into ‘embodied’ perspectives in which the ecstatic capabilities of the human body throw new light on Aegean Bronze Age ritual practices. Such ideas challenge rather passive assumptions modern Western observers hold about the nature of religious feelings and experiences, in particular the depictions of altered states of consciousness in ancient art, and the visionary potential of dance gestures. Speculative asides on the potential for a Minoan origin for Classical Greek humanism, and hints in the imagery on ancient Cretan conceptions of the cosmos, are set against sound archaeological theories to explain this lively and dynamic corpus of images. Beautifully illustrated with images and sketches of the relevant artefacts, this wide-ranging volume will stimulate audiences with archaeological, prehistorical and spiritual interests, as well as historians of religion and art. ‘The Minoan Epiphany’ also represents an influential antecendent to the Visionary Humanist philosophy which forms the majority of Bruce’s current independent research interests.
Author: I. Peter Martini Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media ISBN: 904819413X Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 475
Book Description
This book contains case histories intended to show how societies and landscapes interact. The range of interest stretches from the small groups of the earliest Neolithic, through Bronze and Iron Age civilizations, to modern nation states. The coexistence is, of its very nature reciprocal, resulting in changes in both society and landscape. In some instances the adaptations may be judged successful in terms of human needs, but failure is common and even the successful cases are ephemeral when judged in the light of history. Comparisons and contrasts between the various cases can be made at various scales from global through inter-regional, to regional and smaller scales. At the global scale, all societies deal with major problems of climate change, sea-level rise, and with ubiquitous problems such as soil erosion and landscape degradation. Inter-regional differences bring out significant detail with one region suffering from drought when another suffers from widespread flooding. For example, desertification in North Africa and the Near East contrasts with the temperate countries of southern Europe where the landscape-effects of deforestation are more obvious. And China and Japan offer an interesting comparison from the standpoint of geological hazards to society - large, unpredictable and massively erosive rivers in the former case, volcanoes and accompanying earthquakes in the latter. Within the North African region localized climatic changes led to abandonment of some desertified areas with successful adjustments in others, with the ultimate evolution into the formative civilization of Egypt, the "Gift of the Nile". At a smaller scale it is instructive to compare the city-states of the Medieval and early Renaissance times that developed in the watershed of a single river, the Arno in Tuscany, and how Pisa, Siena and Florence developed and reached their golden periods at different times depending on their location with regard to proximity to the sea, to the main trunk of the river, or in the adjacent hills. Also noteworthy is the role of technology in opening up opportunities for a society. Consider the Netherlands and how its history has been formed by the technical problem of a populous society dealing with too much water, as an inexorably rising sea threatens their landscape; or the case of communities in Colorado trying to deal with too little water for farmers and domestic users, by bringing their supply over a mountain chain. These and others cases included in the book, provide evidence of the successes, near misses and outright failures that mark our ongoing relationship with landscape throughout the history of Homo sapiens. The hope is that compilations such as this will lead to a better understanding of the issue and provide us with knowledge valuable in planning a sustainable modus vivendi between humanity and landscape for as long as possible. Audience: The book will interest geomorphologists, geologists, geographers, archaeologists, anthropologists, ecologists, environmentalists, historians and others in the academic world. Practically, planners and managers interested in landscape/environmental conditions will find interest in these pages, and more generally the increasingly large body of opinion in the general public, with concerns about Planet Earth, will find much to inform their opinions. Extra material: The color plate section is available at http://extras.springer.com
Author: Ayse Devrim Atauz Publisher: ISBN: Category : History Languages : en Pages : 406
Book Description
For millennia, Malta has always been considered a site of strategic importance. From the arrival of the Phoenicians through rule under Carthage, Rome, Sicilian Arabs, Normans, and Genovese, to the Order of St. John ("Knights of Malta"), the advent of the Napoleonic Wars, and even World Wars I and II, the Maltese islands have served as re-provisioning stations, military bases, and refuges for pirates and privateers. Building on her systematic underwater archaeological survey of the Maltese archipelago, Ayse Atauz presents a sweeping, groundbreaking, interdisciplinary approach to maritime history in the Mediterranean. Offering a general overview of essential facts, including geographical and oceanographic factors that would have affected the navigation of historic ships, major relevant historical texts and documents, the logistical possibilities of ancient ship design, a detailed study of sea currents and wind patterns, and especially the archaeological remains (or scarcity thereof) around the Maltese maritime perimeter, she builds a convincing argument that Malta mattered far less in maritime history than has been previously asserted. Atauz's conclusions are of great importance to the history of Malta and of the Mediterranean in general, and her archaeological discoveries about ships are a major contribution to the history of shipbuilding and naval architecture.
Author: Gerard Gertoux Publisher: Lulu.com ISBN: 1329750667 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 204
Book Description
The Trojan War is the foundation of Greek history. If Greek historians had little doubt of its existence they remained extremely sceptical regarding its mythological origin. Archaeology has confirmed one essential point: there was indeed a general conflagration in the Greek world around 1200 BCE, the assumed period of that war, which caused the disappearance of two powerful empires: Mycenaean on one hand and Hittite with its vassals on the other hand. The inscriptions of Ramses III's year 8 describe actually a general invasion of the Mediterranean by the "Sea Peoples". A precise chronological reconstruction shows that there was a confrontation between a Greek heterogeneous confederation, consisting of pirates, and a set of vassal kingdoms of the Hittite empire, such as Troy and Ugarit, which ended with their complete mutual destruction in 1185 BCE, the climax of the Trojan War. This conclusion was already that of Eratosthenes.
Author: Laurie Schneider Adams Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities, Social Sciences & World Languages ISBN: 9780072997682 Category : Art Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
Appropriate for one-semester art history surveys or historically-focused art appreciation classes, A History of Western Art, Fourth Edition, offers an exciting new CD-ROM, additional color plates, and a number of new features. Focusing on the Western canon of art history, the text presents a compelling chronological narrative from prehistory to the present. A new non-Western supplement, World Views: Topics in Non-Western Art, addresses specific areas of non-Western art and augments the Western chronology by illustrating moments of thematic relationships and cross-cultural contact. World Views is available at a discount when packaged with History of Western Art.
Author: Sara Anderson Immerwahr Publisher: Penn State University Press ISBN: Category : Art Languages : en Pages : 324
Book Description
Aegean Painting in the Bronze Age is intended as a handbook for the art historian and archaeologist, with a full catalogue of examples (arranged according to site), critical discussion of the problems of chronology, a comprehensive bibliography, maps, drawings of details, and more than 100 photographic plates, 23 in color. This is the only book to give a synthesis of painting and pictorial art from its beginnings in Prepalatial Crete to the collapse of Bronze Age civilization in the Aegean. Immerwahr traces the development of Aegean painting from its origins in Crete through its spread to the Cycladic islands and to the Greek mainland, where it gave rise to the specific Mycenaean style. She studies primarily wall painting but refers also to painting on pottery and the pictorial art of seal engraving. The question of foreign influence from Egypt and Mesopotamia is discussed in connection with the origins of Minoan painting, and the new frescoes from Akrotiri on Thera are used to supplement the much more fragmentary paintings from Sir Arthur Evan's excavations at Knossos. Immerwahr also explores the interrelationship of the Minoan Cretans, the Cycladic islanders with their Minoanized enclaves on Thera and Melos, and the early Greek Mycenean mainlanders.
Author: Elizabeth Bayard French Publisher: ISBN: Category : History Languages : en Pages : 184
Book Description
Famous from ancient Greek literature as King Agamemnon's capital, Mycenae was the site of almost unbroken excavation during the 20th century, and this continues today. In presenting a full up-to-date account of the site and placing it in its geographical and historical setting, the author concentrates on the great buildings of the citadel--the Lion Gate, the Cult Centre, and the Palace Complex--which flourished during the palatial Period in the 14th and 13th centuries BC. But she also investigates the legends associated with Mycenae and examines the evidence for the pre-palatial and post-palatial periods. Additionally, she is able to incorporate new information on the town and tombs outside the citadel.
Author: José Carlos Sánchez-Pardo Publisher: Archaeopress Archaeology ISBN: 9781789695410 Category : Languages : en Pages : 246
Book Description
By presenting case studies from across Eastern and Western Medieval Europe, this volume aims to open up a Europe-wide debate on the variety of relations and contexts between ecclesiastical buildings and their surrounding landscapes between the 5th and 15th centuries AD.
Author: Bruce Rimell
Author: Bruce Rimell
Author: Elengo Frangoulidou
Author: I. Peter Martini
Author: Ayse Devrim Atauz
Author: Gerard Gertoux
Author: 
Author: Laurie Schneider Adams
Author: Sara Anderson Immerwahr
Author: Elizabeth Bayard French
Author: José Carlos Sánchez-Pardo