Current Approaches and New Perspectives in Aegean Iconography

In the archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age our approaches and methods of
analysing and interpreting pictorial images have changed throughout recent
decades, and the questions we pose to the iconographic material have increased
in complexity. As a consequence, the aim of this volume is to present an
overview of current trends and individual methodological attempts towards
arriving at an adequate understanding of Minoan, Cycladic, and Mycenaean
iconography. Scholars active in this field of research have each contributed
an article on a specific artistic object, an individual image, or a group of
artefacts and their iconography, in order to illustrate the methodology they
use in dealing with Aegean images and their wider context. The focus lies on
the presentation of new, previously unpublished or neglected material from
recent or old excavations, new reconstructions and interpretations of long-
known artistic objects as well as superordinate pictorial subjects. The
contributions focus on prominent artistic media such as seal images (on seals,
signet-rings, and sealings) and mural paintings yet also include other
artistic genera such as metal inlay work, relief images, pictorial pottery,
and terracotta fi gurines. This collection of 18 case studies provides a
representative crosssection that portrays up-to-date research on analysing and
interpreting the iconography of the Aegean Bronze Age. This volume therefore
makes visible current scholarly approaches and simultaneously provides new
perspectives into Aegean iconography.