Over the horizon : human-animal relations in Bronze Age Crete
The iconography of Bronze Age Crete has long been noted for the abundance of animal imagery. The excavator of Knossos, Sir Arthur Evans, explained these depictions in terms of ânature-loving Minoansâ: as part of the reassessment of long-held concepts in âMinoanâ archaeology this thesis offers a different framework for considering animals in Bronze Age Cretan material culture. Drawing on the interdisciplinary field of âanimal studiesâ it provides a perspective which foregrounds human-animal relationships, rather than the prevailing onesided view in which humans impose meanings on animals. The affordance concept, in which meanings arise from interaction, offers a balanced way to consider the relations between humans, animals and material culture. Sealstones, frescoes, zoomorphic figures, ceramic decoration, animal bones and written documents are all regarded as material traces of human-animal relations, each medium potentially implicated in different types of human-animal relationships or âanimal practicesâ. Iconographic and statistical analysis are used to establish the potential significance of these traces: different types of animals are depicted in different ways and occur in varying frequencies
Shapland, A. J.
Over the horizon : human-animal relations in Bronze Age Crete. The iconography of Bronze Age Crete has long been noted for the abundance of animal imagery. The excavator of Knossos, Sir Arthur Evans, explained these depictions in terms of ânature-loving Minoansâ: as part of the reassessment of long-held concepts in âMinoanâ archaeology this thesis offers a different framework for considering animals in Bronze Age Cretan material culture. Drawing on the interdisciplinary field of âanimal studiesâ it provides a perspective which foregrounds human-animal relationships, rather than the prevailing onesided view in which humans impose meanings on animals. The affordance concept, in which meanings arise from interaction, offers a balanced way to consider the relations between humans, animals and material culture. Sealstones, frescoes, zoomorphic figures, ceramic decoration, animal bones and written documents are all regarded as material traces of human-animal relations, each medium potentially implicated in different types of human-animal relationships or âanimal practicesâ. Iconographic and statistical analysis are used to establish the potential significance of these traces: different types of animals are depicted in different ways and occur in varying frequencies
horizon human_animal relation bronze_age_crete iconography bronze_age_crete long note abundance animal imagery excavator knossos sir evans explain depiction term nature part reassessment long_held concept minoan archaeology offer different framework consider animal bronze_age cretan material_culture drawing interdisciplinary field animal study provide perspective foreground human_animal_relationship rather prevail view human impose meaning animal concept meaning arise interaction offer balance way consider_relation human_animal material_culture figure ceramic decoration animal_bone write document regard material trace human_animal relation medium potentially implicated different_type human_animal_relationship animal practice iconographic statistical_analysis use establish potential significance trace different_type animal depict different_way occur vary frequency