Abstract:
This volume presents a cutting-edge perspective on figurine studies in the Neolithic Aegean, sparking renewed interest and innovative ideas. It celebrates two significant milestones in the field: the 50th anniversary of Giorgos Hourmouziadis’ Ph.D. thesis (submitted in 1973 and published in 1974) and the 30th anniversary of Lauren Talalay’s Ph.D. thesis (submitted in 1983 and published in 1993).
Central to this work are three key questions: What advancements have been made since these seminal publications? Where do we stand now? And what future directions should we explore? A group of esteemed scholars addresses these questions through detailed case studies, presenting fresh material and ideas within a robust contextual framework.
This book showcases a rich diversity of methods and results, underscoring that figurines were not uniformly made, understood, or used across different times and places. By advocating for the creation of varied narratives at both macro and micro levels, we highlight the complexity and richness of figurine studies. We hope this volume will serve as a cornerstone for ongoing and future discussions in the field.
Contents
Introduction
Fanis Mavridis and Stratos Nanoglou
A quiet {r}evolution: Changing perspectives on Greek Neolithic figurines
Lauren Talalay
Neolithic figurine-making in Thessaly
Nektaria Alexiou
Human adornment during the Middle Neolithic at Magoula Imvrou Pigadi: What do the figurines tell us?
Nina Kyparissi-Apostolika
Making, arranging, and depositing figurines: The house model of Platia Magoula Zarkou and the pit deposit of Aegina-Kolonna
Eva Alram-Stern
Animal representations in the Neolithic of southern Greece: Inferences about the “Social Qualities of the Beast”
Fanis Mavridis
Neolithic human representations in stone and clay: The case of the Cave of Pan, at Marathon, Attica
Alexandra Mari
From mind to matter: The body schema and perception of the Neolithic figurines from Knossos
Maria Mina
In our image but not in our likeness: Anthropomorphic figurines of the Neolithic Aegean and Anatolia
Çiğdem Atakuman and Hasan Can Gemici
Two-headed zoomorphic ceramic objects from Neolithic Dikili Tash: Figurines or kitchen utensils?
Magdalini Valla, René Treuil, and Frédéric Bourguignon
Materializing categories: The case of 7th millennium B.C. Revenia, Korinos, Pieria, Greece
Stratos Nanoglou
Clay images in Neolithic southeastern Europe
Elisabetta Starnini
Clay figurines and micrographic objects from Neolithic Avgi, Kastoria, northwestern Greece: Plurality and interaction
Odysseas Metaxas and Georgia Stratouli
Dr.
Stratos Nanoglou
Stratos Nanoglou is an archaeologist at the Ephorate of Antiquities of Pella, Hellenic Ministry of Culture. He holds a PhD from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece and has taught courses on archaeology and anthropology at the University of Thessaly, Greece, and Stanford University (CA). He directs and co-directs archaeological projects in Central Macedonia, Greece. His interests focus on practices of inhabitation and representation in prehistory with a special focus on how these practices enabled and governed the production of people and other beings in the past.
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Dr.
Fanis Mavridis
Fanis Mavridis is an archaeologist of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Department of Palaeoanthropology and Speleology. He has studied archaeology at the department of History and Archaeology, Athens University and at a post graduate level, Prehistoric Archaeology (University of Athens) and Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy (Sheffield University). His PhD and post-doc research is related to the Stone Age of the Aegean islands. He has directed systematic and rescue excavations in the Cyclades, Euboea and Attica. His research interests include the Aegean Neolithic, island and cave archaeologies and Bronze Age Cyclades.
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