Wolf, Diana
Monsters and the Mind: Composite Creatures and Social Cognition in Aegean Bronze Age Glyptic
Monsters and the Mind constitutes a first systematic approach to the extant repertoire of “monster” depictions on Aegean Bronze Age seals and sealings with a special focus on Minoan Crete. The study categorizes and frames a typology of hybrids and composite creatures such as griffins and bird-ladies, Minoan Genii and Dragons, and interprets these in the context of their respective times of origin and circulation. A comprehensive catalogue including all published seals bearing hybrids and composite creatures supplements the typological and interpretative approach of the text.
Gesture, Stance,and Movement: Communicating Bodies in the Aegean Bronze Age. Acts of the International Conference at the University of Heidelberg, 11–13 November 2021
The meaning of action in figurative imagery is conveyed through bodily posture, placing the depicted figures – humans, gods, or hybrids – in relation within coherent visual narratives. Especially for societies with few deciphered texts, the analysis of gesture, posture, movement, and facial expression is crucial for understanding ancient ‘webs of significance’. With 29 papers from a conference held in Heidelberg in 2021, this volume examines ‘body language’ in Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece and proposes new ways of interpreting non-verbal communication in Aegean Bronze Age iconography.
