Abstract:
Multimodality – the integration of different semiotic resources in communication – plays a key role in the way people convey meaning. While much of the research has focused on multimodal communication in modern European and Anglo-Saxon cultures, the diverse visual and textual compositions of ancient civilizations have been less explored.
This book presents the findings of a working group on multimodal communication in Ancient Egypt and explores the multimodal nature of Egyptian artifacts decorated with texts, images or text-image compositions through a new interdisciplinary perspective on their semiotic properties. Applying approaches from semiotics, linguistics and visual studies to these ancient materials opens up new perspectives that deepen our understanding of how space and spatial relationships contribute to the interpretation of decorated artifacts.
The spatial arrangement of these artifacts within and interactions with their physical surroundings – whether on walls, on statues or within architectural complexes – offer crucial insights into communicative practices in Ancient Egypt and reveal the sophisticated ways in which space was used to convey complex messages. By examining the spatiality of different objects and groups of objects, this volume demonstrates that the multimodal approach not only enriches the interpretation of individual artifacts, but also leads to a more comprehensive analysis of communicative strategies within Ancient Egyptian culture.
Contents
Spaces and Meaning: Introduction to the Volume
Silvia Kutscher & Dina Serova
Space as a Semiotic Resource in Stationary Graphic Communication of Ancient Egypt: A Theoretical Outlook
Silvia Kutscher
Describing Multimodal Communication in Ancient Egyptian Rock Inscriptions: A First Step Towards a Systematized Methodology
Linda Borrmann-Dücker
Orientation as a Multimodal Spatial Parameter: A Case Study of the Battle of Kadesh Reliefs
Rebecca Döhl
Social Cohesion and the Use of Space: A Miniature Chapel from the Late Middle Kingdom
Dina Serova
Space and Gaze as Semiotic Resources: On Multimodal Information and Attention Guidance in the Pyramid Chapel Beg. N11 at the Northern Royal Cemetery in ancient Meroe, Sudan
Kristina Hülk
From Epigraphic Space to Architectural Semiotics: Multimodality in Early Egyptian Monumentalization Practices
Kristina Hutter
The Coffin of Mentuhotep/Buau (T9C) and its Multimodal Compositions
Elisabeth Kruck
Blue-Painted Ceramic Vessels, Their Imaginary and Physical Location Based on Case Studies
Julia Budka
The Question of the Beholder: Multimodality of Egyptian Statues
Patrizia Heindl
Effects and Functions of Writing in Ancient Egyptian Image-(Text-)Spaces
Frederik Rogner
Prof. Dr.
Silvia Kutscher
Silvia Kutscher is a distinguished academic currently serving as a Professor of Theory and History of Multimodal Communication at the Institute for Archaeology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. She pursued her studies in General Linguistics, German Studies, and History at the University of Cologne from 1989 to 1995. Kutscher completed her Ph.D. in 2000 and earned her habilitation in 2007, both at the University of Cologne. Her research primarily focuses on semiotics and the interplay of language, communication, and multimodal discourse, contributing significantly to the understanding of linguistic theories in archaeological contexts.
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Dr.
Dina Serova
Dina Serova completed her PhD in Northeast African Archaeology and Cultural Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in 2021. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and teaches classes on Ancient Egyptian languages and written culture as well as their interpretation by means of theories and methods derived from sociolinguistics, cultural studies, and sociology.
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