Overview
The Ancient Art of Transformation: Case Studies from Mediterranean Contexts examines instances of human transformation in the ancient and early Christian Mediterranean world by exploring the ways in which art impacts, aids, or provides evidence for physical, spiritual, personal, and social transitions. Building on Arnold van Gennep's notion of universal rites of passage, papers in this volume expand the definition of ""transformation"" to include widespread transitions such as shifts in political establishments and changes in cultural identity. In considering these broadly defined ""passages,"" authors have observed particular changes in the visual record, whether they be manifest, enigmatic, or symbolic. While several papers address transitions that are incomplete, resulting in intermediary, hybrid states, others suggest that the medium itself can be integral to interpreting a transition, and in some cases, be itself transformed. Together, the volume covers not only a broad chronological span (c. 5th century BC to 4th century AD), but also an expansive geographical range (Egypt, Greece, and Italy). Reflecting upon issues central to a variety of Mediterranean cultures (Egyptians, Etruscans, Greeks, Romans, and early Christians), The Ancient Art of Transformation documents how personal, societal, and historical changes become permanently fixed in the material record.? The Ancient Art of Transformation examines the visual manifestation of human transformation in the ancient and early medieval Mediterranean world, exploring the role of art and visual culture in enabling, hindering, or documenting physical, spiritual, personal, and social transitions such as pregnancy and birth, initiations, marriage, death and funerals. The definition of ""transformation"" is also expanded to address instances of less personal and more widespread transitions such as shifts in political establishments and changes in cultural identity in geographic locations.
Full Product Details
Author: Renee M. Gondek ,
Carrie L. Sulosky Weaver
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Imprint: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 9781789251043
ISBN 10: 1789251044
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 12 December 2018
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.
Reviews
...one encounters several interesting approaches to 'transformation' and worthy presentations of interesting examples...each chapter provides an accessible presentation of the chosen examples. --Bryn Mawr Classical Review
...an excellent collection of essays for anyone interested in ancient art in a transitional stage and the editors should be congratulated for putting together specialists who were able to write about this topic not only eruditely but even attractively. * Ancient West & East *
…an excellent collection of essays for anyone interested in ancient art in a transitional stage and the editors should be congratulated for putting together specialists who were able to write about this topic not only eruditely but even attractively. * Ancient West & East *
...one encounters several interesting approaches to 'transformation' and worthy presentations of interesting examples...each chapter provides an accessible presentation of the chosen examples. -- Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Author Information
Renee M. Gondek is Instructor of Classics at the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia. She is an Athenian vase-painting specialist and has published on dress and nuptial imagery in Greek vase-painting. Her other research interests include gender and funerary rituals in the Greek world. Carrie L. Sulosky Weaver is Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a classical archaeologist and the author of The Bioarchaeology of Classical Kamarina: Life and Death in Greek Sicily (University Press of Florida, 2015). Her main research interests are Mediterranean funerary art and architecture, burial practices, and the analysis of human bone.
