Tracing gestures : the art and archaeology of bodily communication / Amy J. Maitland Gardner and Carl Walsh.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gardner, Amy J. Maitland, author.

Walsh, Carl, author.

Series:

UCL world archaeology series ; 001.

UCL world archaeology series ; 001

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gesture--History.

Gesture.

Body language--History.

Body language.

Body language in art.

Gesture in art.

Nonverbal communication--History.

Nonverbal communication.

Genre:

History

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022.

Summary:

"This volume examines the role of gestures in past societies, exploring both how meaning was communicated through bodily actions, and also how archaeologists can trace the symbolism and significance of ancient gestures, ritual practices and bodily techniques through the material remnants of past human groups"-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

Introduction: Tracing Gestures in the Ancient World (Amy J. Maitland Gardner, University College London, UK and Carl Walsh, The Barnes Foundation, USA)

PART 1: THE MATERIALITY OF GESTURE

1. In Touch with the Minoans: Gestural Performance and Experience in Bronze Age Crete (Christine Morris, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and Lucy Goodison, Independent Scholar, UK)

2. Performing Bodies and Theatrical Palaces: Courtly Gestural Vocabularies at Early Bronze Age Ebla (Carl Walsh, The Barnes Foundation, USA)

3. Aspects of Non-Verbal Communication and Rituality in Pre-Roman Banquets: The Gestures of Union (Eighth to Fifth Centuries BCE) (Audrey Gouy, University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

4. Gestures and Social Relations: The Late Neolithic Figurines of the Maltese Islands (Isabelle Vella Gregory, University of Cambridge, UK)

5. Gestures of Protection: Clay Masks of the Phoenician-Punic World (Mireia López-Bertran, Universitat de València, Spain)

PART 2: THE VISUALITY OF GESTURE

6. The Pitfalls and Potentials of Visual Evidence for the History of Gestures: The Example of Athenian Pottery (Timothy J. McNiven, Ohio State University, USA)

7. Langue du geste over the longue durée: On the Diachrony of Ritual Gestures in the Near East (David Calabro, Brigham Young University, USA)

8. Tracing the Semantics of Ancient Maya Gestures (Amy J. Maitland Gardner, University College London, UK)

9. Gesture, Posture and Meaning in the Ulúa Cultural Sphere (Kathryn M. Hudson, University at Buffalo, USA and John S. Henderson, Cornell University, USA)

10. Idealised Divinity versus Identification: Ancient 'Lifelike' Gestures of the Buddhist Sculptures, 500 Rakan (Christine Kuehn, Independent Scholar, Germany)

PART 3: INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON GESTURE

11. Freud's Approach to Gesture and its Archaeological Inspiration (Josef Fulka, Charles University, Czech Republic)

12. Gestures of Making: An Exploration of Material / Body Dialogue through Art Process (Alice Clough and Fo Hamblin, Nottingham Trent University, UK)

Epilogue: Touching on the Future of Gesture (Amy J. Maitland Gardner, University College London, UK and Carl Walsh, The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, USA)

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from home page (Bloomsbury Collections, viewed March 13, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: Gardner, Amy J. Maitland. Tracing gestures

ISBN:

9781350259652

1350259659

9781350259669

1350259667

9781350277021

1350277029

9781350277014

1350277010

9781350277007

1350277002

OCLC:

1301504635

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license