Supervisors info:
Ελευθέριος Πλάτων, αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Ελένη Μαντζουράνη, Καθηγήτρια Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Κωνσταντίνος Κοπανιάς, αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Αρχαιολογίας Ανατολικής Μεσογείου, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Summary:
Without any doubt, the cat and the dog are two animal species that have been connected with the concept of the pet more than any other one, in a wide range of geographic areas and time periods throughout the history of mankind. However, the studies concerning their presence and their role in the art of the geographical region of the Aegean during the Bronze Age (circa 3.200-1.000 BC) are hitherto relatively few. This paper is dealing with the overall presence of the cat and the dog in the iconography of the Aegean region during the aforementioned time period, as it emerges from the depictions of these two categories of animals, and the drawing of conclusions regarding their role in it.
At first, in the introductional part of the study, brief zoological information is being given about the species examined, so that the latter are clearly defined, in addition to data concerning the indications of their physical presence in the Bronze Age Aegean, consisting mainly of zooarchaeological and textual evidence. The first and the second chapter are dealing with the examination and the analysis of the main pictorial representations of cats and dogs, respectively, including examples from the art of glyptic, pottery and wall painting, as well as figurines, metallic, ivory, stone and wooden artifacts. In the third chapter, overall analyses of the aforementioned data are taking place, regarding the depictions and the iconographic contexts where these two categories of animals are included, and iconographic parallels from civilizations of other areas in the east Mediterranean region in its broader meaning, such as Egypt and Cyprus, are also being presented.
In addition, general remarks are being made on all of the above, in relation to the evidence of their physical presence and the social, religious or symbolic role they possibly used to play in the life of the people of the Aegean, during the particular time period, via which the interpretation of the iconographic data is occasionally being attempted. Finally, the general conclusions that have been derived from the study of all of the above are being presented, as well as two catalogues of the iconographic examples of cats and dogs, which include short descriptions of the relative finds and information about their dating and finding context, accompanied by the corresponding bibliographical references.
Keywords:
cat, dog, Aegean, Bronze Age, iconography, art
