Bronze monsters and the cultures of wonder : griffin cauldrons in the preclassical Mediterranean / Nassos Papalexandrou.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Papalexandrou, Athanasios Christou, 1965- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kettles--Mediterranean Region.

Kettles.

Griffins in art.

Pots--Mediterranean Region.

Pots.

Bronze bowls--Mediterranean Region.

Bronze bowls.

Art, Ancient--Mediterranean Region--Oriental influences.

Art, Ancient.

Material culture--Mediterranean Region.

Material culture.

Mediterranean Region--Antiquities.

Mediterranean Region.

Antiquities.

Art, Ancient--Oriental influences.

Physical Description:

xvi, 293 pages : illustrations, map ; 27 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2021.

Summary:

"Due to their proximity, the interactions between Greece and the Near East were regular throughout antiquity, but the period of the 8th/7th centuries BCE is generally called the "Orientalizing Age" (from the Greek perspective) because of the marked influence that the Near East had on Greek thought, myth, and art during this time. Many of the mythological monsters we today think of as Greek had their origins to the east, including the griffin, a hybrid creature usually composed of the body, tail, and rear legs of a lion and the head, wings, and sometimes talons of an eagle. During this period, griffins were frequently included as protomes on Greek cauldrons, that is, an adornment featuring the head of a creature along the rim of the huge vessel. These griffin cauldrons have been discovered over much of the Mediterranean region, from Cyprus to Burgundy and the Loire valley of France, especially in sanctuaries of all sizes and elite tombs. Papalexandrou explores the 7th century as a time of wonder and radical innovation in the material and visual cultures of the Mediterranean with the griffin cauldrons as his case study, examining the possible reasons for their popularity, how and by whom they were used, their religious significance, and how they traveled across the region"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. I GRIFFIN CAULDRONS IN CONTEXTS OF LIFE AND DEATH

ch. One The Eastern Mediterranean, Ionia, and the Aegean

ch. Two Mainland Greece

ch. Three Italy and France

pt. II SOURCES FOR THE LIVES OF GRIFFIN CAULDRONS

ch. Four Kolaios's Monster Cauldron at the Heraion of Samos (Herodotus 4.152)

ch. Five Monsters in Images: Pictorial Representations of Griffin Cauldrons

pt. III RESPONSES TO THE UNCANNY

ch. Six Vision of Wonders.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781477323618

1477323619

OCLC:

1240827942