“Craft Economy” and Terracotta Figurines: Approaching Systems of Production through Coroplastic Studies (Archaeology and Economy in the Ancient World, Panel 3.14, Propylaeum 16), ed. by S. Huysecom-Haxhi and A. Pautasso. Heidelberg: Propylaeum, pp. 55-67., 2022
Moulds made possible the mass production of numerous inexpensive dedications in the Greek world. ... more Moulds made possible the mass production of numerous inexpensive dedications in the Greek world. The use of derivative moulds in the serial production of terracottas inevitably results in products that are both smaller and less clearly defined than their prototypes since details are often indistinct or obliterated. What factors may have influenced dedicants to choose smaller versions of terracottas? Was it simply a matter of lower cost or could there also have been other considerations such as portability, suitability for mass dedications and groupings, or even availability of display space? Furthermore, the symbolic value of dedications, for example, as tokens of participation in a cult activity, would not be affected by size. And did size matter to the recipient divinity? I argue that small size did not decrease the perceived efficacy or religious significance of an offering. In fact, reduced size would have intensified the significance of the most important features, those that communicate the messages inherent in the form of the dedication. This paper addresses aspects of the economic and social dimension of coroplastic serial production, primarily focusing on a large group of mould-made plaques (6 th-4 th century BC) from the hero sanctuary of Agamemnon and Kassandra in Lakonia. These plaques vary widely in quality and size, ranging from sizeable, detailed images to a large number of small and simplified versions.
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This volume received financial support from the Archaeological Institute of America.
See more at: http://www.press.umich.edu/3235848/heroic_offerings
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This is an open-access article available here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-classics-teaching/article/teaching-greek-mythology-through-a-scenariobased-game/1BE71CAC4B54023AD476F90A3449041C
youth, their divine associations and location in the paradise-like garden of the gods relate to Heracles’ attainment of immortality and the pleasures of a blessed afterlife.
focuses on dedicatory practices and, in particular, on modest offerings
and the multiple ways these were valued in Greek society. It concludes
that, even though small inexpensive offerings were affordable by poorer
people, their dedicators likely came from various socio-economic backgrounds. Dedications of low economic value and modest appearance may have had high symbolic value because they embodied social and religious ideas or the desires and identities of the dedicator; or they could derive their value from the function they performed in ritual. If the messages carried by such offerings were of primary concern and their value symbolic and emotional rather than material, the choice of a small or inexpensive offering would not necessarily reflect lower socio-economic status. Moreover, if the main concern of gift giving were communication and reciprocity, the act of giving would have been more important than the offering’s monetary value.
The main intention of this paper is to raise the issue of small offerings acquired and dedicated in groups or sets, and presumably also displayed together. In some cases, sanctuary deposits exhibiting similarities in the profile of type of offerings may indicate that objects were dedicated in groups of two or more items during a single visit to the sanctuary. Sets of offerings would have expressed complementary notions about the cult and the recipient, and could have increased the efficacy of the gift-giving ritual. In other cases, generic offerings that were appropriate for several cults could have been dedicated and displayed together in a sanctuary in order to produce more specific images.
Despite the heroic origins of Agamemnon, a persistent scholarly opinion assumes that the Spartans worshipped him as a manifestation of Zeus, a belief based on the reference of later literary sources to a cult of Zeus-Agamemnon. In this paper I aim to conclusively disprove the divine worship of Agamemnon in Lakonia and argue instead that he received heroic worship from the establishment of the sanctuary at Amyklai along with his consort Kassandra, known locally as Alexandra. The fusion of Zeus with Agamemnon was relatively late and probably the invention of the poet Lykophron."
It is concluded that no single interpretation can be ascribed to all cases. Most triads seem to represent mortal worshippers rather than a specific divine or semi-divine triad. However, an exceptional triad flanked by snakes may represent the Erinyes. Such an interpretation would harmonize with the nature of the cult at the sanctuary in which they were dedicated—that of Alexandra (Kassandra) and Agamemnon, both murdered in Lakonia, according to a local tradition. An offering with the representation of the avenging spirits would have been very appropriate for Agamemnon and especially Kassandra, who suffered a wrongful death that was never properly avenged.
This volume received financial support from the Archaeological Institute of America.
See more at: http://www.press.umich.edu/3235848/heroic_offerings
This is an open-access article available here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-classics-teaching/article/teaching-greek-mythology-through-a-scenariobased-game/1BE71CAC4B54023AD476F90A3449041C
youth, their divine associations and location in the paradise-like garden of the gods relate to Heracles’ attainment of immortality and the pleasures of a blessed afterlife.
focuses on dedicatory practices and, in particular, on modest offerings
and the multiple ways these were valued in Greek society. It concludes
that, even though small inexpensive offerings were affordable by poorer
people, their dedicators likely came from various socio-economic backgrounds. Dedications of low economic value and modest appearance may have had high symbolic value because they embodied social and religious ideas or the desires and identities of the dedicator; or they could derive their value from the function they performed in ritual. If the messages carried by such offerings were of primary concern and their value symbolic and emotional rather than material, the choice of a small or inexpensive offering would not necessarily reflect lower socio-economic status. Moreover, if the main concern of gift giving were communication and reciprocity, the act of giving would have been more important than the offering’s monetary value.
The main intention of this paper is to raise the issue of small offerings acquired and dedicated in groups or sets, and presumably also displayed together. In some cases, sanctuary deposits exhibiting similarities in the profile of type of offerings may indicate that objects were dedicated in groups of two or more items during a single visit to the sanctuary. Sets of offerings would have expressed complementary notions about the cult and the recipient, and could have increased the efficacy of the gift-giving ritual. In other cases, generic offerings that were appropriate for several cults could have been dedicated and displayed together in a sanctuary in order to produce more specific images.
Despite the heroic origins of Agamemnon, a persistent scholarly opinion assumes that the Spartans worshipped him as a manifestation of Zeus, a belief based on the reference of later literary sources to a cult of Zeus-Agamemnon. In this paper I aim to conclusively disprove the divine worship of Agamemnon in Lakonia and argue instead that he received heroic worship from the establishment of the sanctuary at Amyklai along with his consort Kassandra, known locally as Alexandra. The fusion of Zeus with Agamemnon was relatively late and probably the invention of the poet Lykophron."
It is concluded that no single interpretation can be ascribed to all cases. Most triads seem to represent mortal worshippers rather than a specific divine or semi-divine triad. However, an exceptional triad flanked by snakes may represent the Erinyes. Such an interpretation would harmonize with the nature of the cult at the sanctuary in which they were dedicated—that of Alexandra (Kassandra) and Agamemnon, both murdered in Lakonia, according to a local tradition. An offering with the representation of the avenging spirits would have been very appropriate for Agamemnon and especially Kassandra, who suffered a wrongful death that was never properly avenged.
This fascinating and carefully crafted epigram has received little attention by literary scholars and has been overlooked by Greek religion specialists studying festivals. In this paper, we argue that most likely this epigram is fictitious and contains a variety of key words, images and clever allusions to archaic poetry that point to the fictional death having occurred at the celebration of the Adonia. During this rowdy nocturnal festival, held annually in various parts of the Greek world, groups of women mourned the death of Adonis, the young lover of Aphrodite. The poet may have taken inspiration from celebrations of the Adonia in Alexandria, in which he resided, or even perhaps in Macedonia, and specifically in his hometown of Pella.
A youthful clean-shaven type is represented by only two surviving protomes: one holding the standard egg and kantharos and the other holding an egg and a rooster. Formal similarities indicate that both were produced from a combination of female and male types, a procedure driven not only by technical necessity but possibly also by religious and ideological reasons: to convey the androgynous quality of either a young Dionysos or, more likely, that of a young initiate of Dionysos, whose identity was intentionally blurred with that of the god during the time of transition from adolescence to adulthood. Depositing a youthful protome (perhaps along with a bearded Dionysos type) in the grave of a prematurely deceased could have helped place him under the protection of the god of transitions who would guide him from life to death and hopefully to a blessed afterlife.
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The goal of the collection was to improve the learning outcomes of Classical Studies students through the use of direct experience, which is a highly effective method of helping people learn. Students can get a feel of ancient art in three-dimensional form—quite unlike the possibly misleading impressions gained from photos. The great advantage of reproductions over actual ancient artefacts is that our students can use them and experiment with them in a very practical and hands-on way, without the restrictions placed on handling precious antiquities.
New technologies assisted in extending the educational value of this hands-on resource to the students who study at a distance and who do not have the opportunity to handle and use the reproductions. Staff at the Massey National Centre for Teaching and Learning designed an interactive online resource allowing the vases to be viewed online, and via iPad, in high-resolution 3D. Thus the tactile experiences provided to students in class, can be partly replicated in the virtual world; for example, students are able to explore the vases in 3D by swiping the surface of the ipad.
The physical and virtual reproductions support and facilitate meaningful student learning. They allow learning by doing, stimulate curiosity, provide accessibility and inclusiveness, and overall create a more deeply engaging educational experience.