Narrative in Aegean Art: A Methodology of Identification and Interpretation
Issue Date
2020-07-01Author
Younger, John G.
Publisher
Press universitaires de Louvain
Type
Article
Is part of series
Aegis. Actes de colloques;18
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This study continues previous work on identifying narratives and myths that are illustrated in
Aegean Bronze Age art. The study first details its aim and evolution; second, it lays out a general methodology
for identifying narrative; and, third, the parameters for doing so. I take up the parameters that define
Aegean narrative in the following order: In what artistic media will narratives appear ?: all examples
of state/formal art: sealstones, fingerrings, wall paintings. What themes can we expect to appear in these
state/formal media?: in the Minoan, woman-centered culture, narratives focus on the successful childbirth
and survival of the mother; Mycenaean art focuses on the history and the early foundations of the palatial
kingdoms. How do we identify a narrative ?: by identifying “strange and unusual” images with people
and then linking these images with others whose details overlap. And what is the expected chronological
range for Aegean narrative ?: from MM II, when people become central in Aegean art to the end of the
14th century when sealstones and fingerrings are no longer being manufactured. For the above discussions,
I first summarize my articles on “Minoan bull-games” as examples of a successful identification of
narrative. I then append four more examples of Aegean narratives, two Minoan and two Mycenaean, as
departure points for future discussions by future scholars.
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