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Archaic art

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lightbulbAbout this topic
Archaic art refers to the artistic styles and practices prevalent in ancient cultures, particularly in Greece from the 8th to the early 5th century BCE. Characterized by the emergence of naturalism and the representation of human figures, it marks a significant transition from earlier, more stylized forms of artistic expression.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Archaic art refers to the artistic styles and practices prevalent in ancient cultures, particularly in Greece from the 8th to the early 5th century BCE. Characterized by the emergence of naturalism and the representation of human figures, it marks a significant transition from earlier, more stylized forms of artistic expression.

Key research themes

1. How did long-term social and economic changes influence the production, function, and aesthetic evolution of Archaic art in prehistoric Europe?

This research theme explores the connections between macro-historical trends in society and economy and the resultant shifts in prehistoric European art, emphasizing quantitative deep-time analysis to reveal how changes in lifestyle such as the advent of sedentary farming led to increased art production and evolving art forms, uses, and aesthetics. This broad archaeological and material culture perspective is vital for understanding how art served social functions and reflected societal transformations during the Archaic period and earlier.

Key finding: The paper's quantitative analysis of 211 prehistoric European art traditions from 40,000 B.C. to 0 A.D. demonstrates a sharp increase in art production coincident with the origins of sedentary farming, accompanied by emergent... Read more
Key finding: The study highlights the interplay between rock art, oral storytelling, and social behavior in early societies, noting that the production and placement of rock art implicate social and ritual functions. This work extends the... Read more
Key finding: Through detailed archaeological and iconographic analysis of Grave 8's burial artifacts, including highly symbolic grave goods, this research reinterprets the grave as an integrated ritual and social statement of elite... Read more
Key finding: This paper provides a focused case study of an early Classical grave stele from Sinope featuring figural relief and an inscription referencing a death during the grape harvest, illustrating how funerary art conveyed... Read more

2. What are the theological, cultural, and material negotiation processes reflected in Archaic figural arts, particularly regarding the representation of animate beings in contexts with complex religious attitudes?

This theme investigates the nuanced relationship between religious prescriptions, iconographic norms, and artistic practices in Archaic figural art. It foregrounds how theological concerns with aniconism and sanctity influenced creative strategies such as fragmentation, vegetalization, and selective omission to reconcile figural representation with religious piety. Studies in this area provide critical insights into how artists and patrons negotiated competing demands of aesthetic expression and doctrinal compliance, expanding the interpretive framework of Archaic material culture beyond binary models of prohibition or permission.

Key finding: Focusing on the 18th-century Ottoman manuscript Tercüme-i Cifru´l-Câmi, the study reveals novel iconographic strategies such as floralizing heads and limbs in figural art to comply with Islamic prohibitions, detailing how... Read more
Key finding: Examining an Etruscan silver ring with rare scorpion iconography, this paper connects the artifact's use as an apotropaic amulet with widespread folkloric and symbolic practices in ancient Greece. The work highlights the... Read more
Key finding: Analysis of a diverse set of archaic terracotta figurines from Borysthenes reveals iconographic innovation such as goddesses with animal features, children, and vegetal symbolism that complicated traditional identifications... Read more

3. How did Mediterranean cultural interactions influence the stylistic development and reinterpretation of Archaic art motifs in later artistic expressions?

This research theme centers on the transmission, appropriation, and transformation of Archaic motifs across Mediterranean cultures, with a focus on how pre-classical and Archaic artistic forms inspired modern and later period artists as well as how intercultural trade routes and political dynamics shaped artistic production. It emphasizes cross-cultural flows, re-significations, and geographic adaptations that illustrate the ongoing legacy and reinterpretative functions of Archaic art, providing key insights into the layered complexity of artistic identities and heritage in the Mediterranean basin.

Key finding: This study uncovers Henri Matisse's direct appropriation of Cycladic and archaic Mediterranean sculpture, demonstrating how the simplified, emotive forms of pre-classical art influenced his modernist aesthetics. It shows... Read more
Key finding: The research identifies Barniz de Pasto, a lacquer art tradition in colonial Peru and Colombia, as a syncretic artistic practice informed by European, Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Indian), and indigenous influences via... Read more
Key finding: Through stylistic attribution and cultural contextualization, this study demonstrates that the late 6th-century BC Heracles-Melqart limestone head from Çatal Höyük was produced in Cyprus but bears localized Anatolian... Read more
Key finding: The paper describes a well-preserved Late Archaic bronze hydria from Sinope combining stylistic attributes from various Peloponnesian workshops, including lion-head and Gorgo motifs. It suggests the vase’s presence in Sinope... Read more

All papers in Archaic art

The seated figure of a papposilenos drinking from a krate riskos is carved in relief on a low unfluted column from Corinth. On the forehead he wears an ivy wreath with berries and leaves, combined with a fillet. He is either the mythical... more
The palace of the Lydian kings, and in particular the palace of Croesus, was famous in antiquity, and has been sought by visitors and archaeologists for centuries. Recent excavation in the center of Lydian Sardis allows us to identify a... more
The identification of a whole series of terminals, with a common tampon-shaped design, has made it possible to identify a new type of torcs of Hispanic origin, present in a large area of the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula. The... more
A Chiusine urn whose provenance can be traced back to the Firmin-Didot collection was recently brought to the attention of the authors and appears to be previously unknown in any corpora or other publications of Etruscan inscriptions,... more
André Miquel 8 textes arabes où les voyageurs-géographes des x e et xi e siècles nous disaient le spectacle que leur offraient des villes toutes neuves ou héritées d'un passé gréco-romain visible ici, disparu ou brouillé ailleurs. Des... more
MÖ 1. Binyıl öncesinde Anadolu' da metalin serüveni hakkında kısaca bilgilendirme yapılmaktadır. Sonrasında bronz kemerlerinin nasıl işlendiği ve yapım tekniklerinden bahsedilmektedir. Son olarak ise örneklerle Anadolu' nun MÖ 1. Binde... more
Discusses an eye cup in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (44.11.1) in a way that interweaves inscription, shape, and iconography. I include the opening pages here with the article's introduction, and the full article can... more
The project examines Greek transport amphorae of the same shape that were produced in different sites. This formal convergence was a pan-Mediterranean phenomenon observable throughout antiquity. By discussing contrasting interpretations... more
Il testo è dedicato ad una revisione critica del dinos bronzeo rinvenuto ad Amandola. Un'attenta analisi dell'apparato decorativo del recipiente e del suo sostegno permettono di formulare nuove ipotesi sulla produzione dei due elementi,... more
Este trabajo explora el caso del kouros del Getty, una escultura comprada en 1985 por el Museo J. Paul Getty de Los Ángeles que se retiró de la exposición permanente en 2018, afirmándose que se trata de una falsificación. Se analizan los... more
Resumen: Presentamos en estas líneas la correspondencia inédita de A. Schulten y de otros autores centrada en el desciframiento de la leyenda griega inscrita en un anillo que el filólogo alemán descubrió en las excavaciones del Coto de... more
This article presents a series of early Roman marble objects, mainly furniture and precious utensils, which are indicative of the arrival in Crete—along with the Roman settlers after the conquest of the island—of a Roman way of life that... more
In recent decades, various archaeological finds, including monumental remains, have been either ascribed to Tartessos, designated as "Tartessian" or attributed to Tartessian craftsmen. The present article tries to approach the territorial... more
Este trabajo estudia la presencia de vasos áticos de figuras negras en el sureste peninsular. Nos centramos en la caracterización productiva del material de estudio, aportando novedades sobre dataciones y definición de talleres. A la par,... more
Master's thesis in classical archaeology obtained in 2013. VOL III, Illustrations. Title: The place of stables in Greek sanctuaries, ceremonies, and games. Chronological period: Late Geometric 1a- death of Philip II. Geographical scope:... more
Master's thesis in classical archaeology obtained in 2013. VOL II, Annexes. Title: The place of stables in Greek sanctuaries, ceremonies, and games. Chronological period: Late Geometric 1a- death of Philip II. Geographical scope:... more
A short article about the CHANGE Project's participation in a new documentary for ARTE about the history of coinage.
In March 1867, a significant collection of antiquities, amassed over several decades by Adolphe Raifé (1802-1860), was auctioned in Paris. A member of the Parisian bourgeoisie, Raifé had formed a varied collection of art, books and... more
Medieval Arabic-language written sources on the history and ethnography of Africa contain some information on architecture and fine arts. African art historians rarely refer to them, although these sources themselves are not rare or... more
2. The Ancient City of Aizonai and its Settlements 2.1.The Aizonai: Historical origins 2.1.1. The Phrygians 2.1.2. Mainland and also Urban Districts of Aizonai 2.2.The village 2.2.1. Name 2.2.2. Village structure 2.2.3. Village economy... more
According to Greek mythology, Achilles was fatally wounded in his heel, bled out, and died. Several unproven hypotheses mention poisoning, infection, allergy, hemophilia, thyrotoxic storm (ie, pain and stress), and suicide. The author, a... more
The papers published in these proceedings reflect the views only of the authors. The editor and the publisher cannot be held responsible for the validity or use of the information therein contained. The authors are responsible for the... more
Que celui qui cherche, Soit toujours en quête Jusqu'à ce qu'il trouve, Et quand il aura trouvé, Il sera dans le trouble, Ayant été troublé, il s'émerveillera… Evangile apocryphe selon Thomas, logion 2 La mythologie grecque, si l'on s'y... more
Anna Trofimova, Director of the Department of Classical Antiquities at Russia's largest and most renowned state museum gave an interview to Etruscan Times. Answering our questions at length, Dr. Trofimova focuses on the recent... more
In this article, we demonstrate the significance of the notion of interpretation in science by examining the measurement of obliquity in Ptolemy's Almagest and Copernicus's De Revolutionibus. We show that measuring this fundamental... more
The component parts and typology of figures on a frag- mentary relief without context from the Magazine of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens suggest its Libyan origin. The description of the figures leads to comparisons with... more
Cults and international treaties between Rome and the Greek cities in the 2nd century BC: the case of the Serapeum of Delos. Elisabetta Todisco (Università di Bari), Feste e culti rurali nell'Italia romana. Francesco Mongelli (Università... more
In The Archaeology of Lydia, From Gyges to Alexander, Christopher H. Roosevelt provides the first overview of the regional archaeology of Lydia in western Turkey, including much previously unpublished evidence and a fresh synthesis of the... more
Interacción con Tarteso. En referencia a la naturaleza del mapa a comentar indicar que es un mapa historiográfico ya que no fue realizado contemporáneamente a la época cuyo contenido representa. El hecho histórico representado es la... more
Preliminary evaluation on the bronze statue fragments and pedestals found at Blaundos excavations in eastern Lydia
L’article retrace la création du cabinet de numismatique de Fribourg entre la fin du XVIIIe et le XIXe siècle. Il montre comment les premières collections de médailles, issues de dons privés (notamment ceux de Simon Tobie Gerffer et du... more
La terre des ancêtres : à propos des nécropoles antiques de Marseille Manuel MoLiNER .
2015 jährt sich zum 50. Mal die Gründung der Ruhr-Universität Bochum und zum 40. Mal die Eröffnuhg ihres Antikenmuseutns. Aus diesem Anlass wird ein Überblick über die Geschichte der Sammlung in den vergangenen 40 Jahren, über neuere... more
The failure of a one religious reform: Observations on the Hellenistic reform in Jerusalem. Federico Russo (Università degli Studi di Milano) & Francesco Reali (Università di Bologna), Cults and international treaties between Rome and the... more
The paper examines various proposals regarding the origin and function of the Lydian god Qλdãns, and offers a new etymology for this divine name, which implies its original function as the Storm-god of the Army
It is here presented the vase collection belonged to the Marquis Giovanni Pietro Campana, which was a section of one of the most important private collections of the 19th century and nowadays it is spread in various museums in Europe.... more
This article presents a group of photographs and other images, most of them little known, which together provide an idea of the appearance of the museum of ancient sculpture that belonged to the Marchese Giovanni Pietro Campana (1808-80),... more
The subject of our study is the head of Heracles found during the 1932-1934 excavation season at the Çatal Höyük settlement in the Amik Plain within the borders of Hatay. It is exhibited in the Hatay Museum and carved from limestone. That... more
Reliefs im Fokus.
Aussagepotenziale von Reliefwerken.
Workshop 08.-09.2025,  DAI Madrid
At the end of the archaic period, the representations of the symposion in Greece are numerous, varied and attentive to detail. They allow a fine analysis of the ideological variations that emerge from the general organization of the space... more
En el centenario de la aparición del depósito de bronces de la Ría onubense se torna necesario realizar una valoración del avance del conocimiento del puerto atlántico, con todas las manifestaciones arqueológicas que han venido... more
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