Bronze monsters and the cultures of wonder : griffin cauldrons in the preclassical Mediterranean /
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...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Austin :
University of Texas Press,
[2021].
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| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: |
| 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. |
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| Physical Description: | xvi, 293 pages : illustrations, map ; 27 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781477323618 1477323619 |