Unit:
Specialty Greek and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology: From the Bronze Age Palaces to the Hellenistic KingdomsLibrary of the School of Philosophy
Author:
Mitrovich Michele
Supervisors info:
Vassilis Petrakis, Assistant Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, Department of History
and Archaeology, NKUA (Supervisor);
Yiannis Papadatos, Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, Department of History
and Archaeology, NKUA (1st assessor);
Giorgos Vavouranakis, Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, Department of History
and Archaeology, NKUA (2nd assessor).
Original Title:
The Octopus in Bronze Age Aegean iconography
Translated title:
The Octopus in Bronze Age Aegean iconography
Summary:
The octopus was among the most popular decorative motifs in Minoan and Mycenaean iconographic tradition. The main hypothesis presented in this work suggests that the specific iconographic approach, style, and context of images of octopuses depicted with large frontal eyes and primarily as a focal and/or isolated motif, which is seen in the Bronze Age Aegean visual corpus, served a protective or apotropaic purpose. It is further proposed that the roots of this function can be found in animal biology, particularly, in a defensive mechanism known as Deimatic Display. The same fundamental mechanism has been also shown to moderate human behavior and potentially to be the underlying principle for the beliefs in the protective power of the Gorgoneion of the Greek historical period and the amulet known as the Evil Eye.
Main subject category:
Archaeology
Keywords:
Octopus, Minoan, Mycenaean, Bronze Age Aegean, iconography, Marine Style, Evil Eye, Deimatic Display, Gorgon, gorgoneion, Medusa, apotropaic, cephalopod, Minoan pottery, larnakes, Tiryns, Pylos fresco paintings
Number of references:
154
File:
File access is restricted only to the intranet of UoA.
Octopus MA Thesis, Mitrovich, October 1, 2024.pdf
6 MB
File access is restricted only to the intranet of UoA.
