Ballmer, Ariane

Ariane Ballmer (Ed.), Daniel Neumann (Ed.)

Imitations, Simulations, Mock-ups and Illusions: Special Variants and Interpretations in Material Culture: Case Studies from Prehistoric Europe

This book deals with artefacts that imitate other objects, without serving the same purpose as the originals. As imitations, simulations, mock-ups and illusions, they draw attention to themselves through their appearance and qualities, but also through their mise-en-place – they deceive, pretend and distract, but also provoke second looks. As it will turn out these special objects hold the potential to unfold tense metaphorical dynamics.
The essays in this book aim to elucidate this phenomenon, explore its diverse material manifestations and question the social function(s) of these artefacts. The case studies range from the Neolithic to the Early Iron Age, featuring material scattered throughout Europe, from the French Atlantic coast to Northern Europe, all the way to Southeastern Europe and the Aegean.

In this publication, the contributions appear successively. They are edited, have the final layout and are included unchanged in the full volume. Each early-view article receives a persistent DOI and is thus fully citable; only no pages can be given yet. Only when all articles are available will they be given page numbers. Please use the citation recommendation given in the PDF for the Early View.