Symbols and warriors : images of the European Bronze Age / Richard J. Harrison.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harrison, Richard J. (Richard John), 1949-

Contributor:

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Art, Prehistoric--Europe.

Art, Prehistoric.

Europe.

Bronze age--Europe.

Bronze age.

Europe--Antiquities.

Antiquities.

Physical Description:

360 pages : illustrations, map ; 26cm

Other Title:

Images of the European Bronze Age

Place of Publication:

Bristol : WASP, [2004]

Summary:

It is fair to say that warrior ideology was rife in Bronze Age Europe but all too often it is discussed in generalised and overly simplistic terms. This detailed study of the imagery and ideology of Bronze Age Spain and Portugal draws on a corpus of more than one hundred stelae. Describing them as `multi-vocal monuments' Richard Harrison examines how they embody ideological codes centred around militarism, masculinity and hierarchy, reflected in the symbolism of the imagery, the geographical location of stelae and their function. In Harrison's opinion the stelae contain a `treasure-trove of well-preserved ideas' of a society seeking to mark physical possession of territory, commemorate their great leaders and warriors and, in some cases, mark their burial. Discussion of examples and particular types of symbolism and imagery from Iberia lead to broader discussions of stelae practices, social evolution and warrior ideology in Bronze Age Europe as a whole.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Stelae as windows on the Bronze Age 1

1.1 Thinking about a world-view 1

1.2 The first stelae in Europe and Iberia 4

1.3 Stelae as artefacts with pictures 5

1.4 Aspects of Bronze Age social evolution 6

Chapter 2 Between two worlds: the Atlantic and Mediterranean background to the stelae 9

2.1 The idea of an Atlantic Bronze Age 9

2.2 Chronology and historical dates 13

2.3 Research agendas for the Bronze Age 16

2.4 Looking forward 18

Chapter 3 Landscapes with stelae 21

3.1 The landscapes and historical ecology of Extremadura 21

3.2 Subsistence in the savannas: herding systems and pastoralism 25

3.3 Metals as raw materials in Extremadura 28

3.4 Finding the stelae 29

3.5 Stelae in the ancient landscape 32

Chapter 4 Observing pictures, motifs and compositions 37

4.1 Stelae groups and distributions 37

4.2 Some prehistoric contexts 39

4.3 Evolving pictures on stelae: composition over time 44

4.4 Changing the picture: stelae transformed by secondary use 46

4.5 Making an iconic language of power: motifs and thematic compositions 52

4.6 Motifs and objects 53

4.7 A warrior code of abstractions 59

4.8 Areas of elite social activity not included on the stelae 61

Chapter 5 Recognising ideologies: social strategies in the Bronze Age 67

5.1 The character of chiefdoms 67

5.2 Social networks and sources of power in chiefdoms 70

5.3 Ideology and its visual expression 74

Chapter 6 Reading the codes: symbols and meanings 81

6.2 Compositions and motif groups 83

6.3 The coded meanings behind the symbols 104

Chapter 7 Materialising the motifs as Bronze Age artefacts 123

7.1 Archaeological data for ideological motifs 123

7.2 Shields 124

7.3 Swords 134

7.4 Crested helmets 138

7.5 Horned figures 143

7.6 Other weapons 144

7.7 Chariots 144

7.8 Mirrors 151

7.9 Metrology 157

7.10 Lyres and harps 158

7.11 Combs 159

7.12 Brooches 161

7.13 Toilet articles: tweezers and razors 163

7.14 Diadems and hair coiffures 163

Chapter 8 Placing the Iberian stelae in their European context 165

8.1 Cultural geography in the Bronze Age 165

8.2 Connections across Europe 168

8.3 The ideal of the Late Bronze Age warrior 170

8.4 Invisible heroes 176

Chapter 10 Illustrated catalogue of stelae 187.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 327-348) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

ISBN:

0953541878 :

OCLC:

52326831