Archeologia klasyczna w poszukiwaniu swej tożsamości. Między przeszłością, teraźniejszą a historią sztuki

The article defines classical archaeology as one of the first and oldest branches of archaeology practised in Europe by stressing that interests in the relics of ancient civilisations have been deeply embedded in the cultural self-identification of various peoples of Europe. The author aims to recognize how the modern world values contribute to interpretation and conservation of the classical past, especially Greek art and architecture, alongside other ancient objects, and how the Western elites treated them in the past centuries. The issue of common roots of classical archaeology and history of art as well as their long-lasting relationships are also thoroughly discussed. Discrepancies between major research procedures of classical archaeology and art history are scrutinized, especially in terms of an arguable irrelevance of modern concept of art in relation to archaeological evidence. The role of museums in relation to art and antiquities trade is also raised. Furthermore, the author discusses classical archaeology within broader issues of contemporary archaeology. It is recognized that classical archaeology has certainly changed by resigning from the previously dominant connoisseur knowledge approach to artefacts, concentrated solely on the works of art often seen as autonomous entities devoid of the context of their production, meaning and perception. Finally, the author defines contemporary classical archaeology as a rapidly changing discipline, reformulating its research agenda and opening up to cooperation with numerous other disciplines. Nevertheless, this should not mean a wholesale rejection of its great legacy of being a history of ancient art. On the contrary, this traditions ought to be redefined and incorporated into contemporary research agenda of the discipline.The article defines classical archaeology as one of the first and oldest branches of archaeology practised in Europe by stressing that interests in the relics of ancient civilisations have been deeply embedded in the cultural self-identification of various peoples of Europe. The author aims to recognize how the modern world values contribute to interpretation and conservation of the classical past, especially Greek art and architecture, alongside other ancient objects, and how the Western elites treated them in the past centuries. The issue of common roots of classical archaeology and history of art as well as their long-lasting relationships are also thoroughly discussed. Discrepancies between major research procedures of classical archaeology and art history are scrutinized, especially in terms of an arguable irrelevance of modern concept of art in relation to archaeological evidence. The role of museums in relation to art and antiquities trade is also raised. Furthermore, the author discusses classical archaeology within broader issues of contemporary archaeology. It is recognized that classical archaeology has certainly changed by resigning from the previously dominant connoisseur knowledge approach to artefacts, concentrated solely on the works of art often seen as autonomous entities devoid of the context of their production, meaning and perception. Finally, the author defines contemporary classical archaeology as a rapidly changing discipline, reformulating its research agenda and opening up to cooperation with numerous other disciplines. Nevertheless, this should not mean a wholesale rejection of its great legacy of being a history of ancient art. On the contrary, this traditions ought to be redefined and incorporated into contemporary research agenda of the discipline

Ancient mythological images and their interpretation: an introduction to iconology, semiotics and image studies in classical art history

When we try to make sense of pictures, what do we gain when we use a particular method - and what might we be missing or even losing? Empirical experimentation on three types of mythological imagery - a Classical Greek pot, a frieze from Hellenistic Pergamon and a second-century CE Roman sarcophagus - enables Katharina Lorenz to demonstrate how theoretical approaches to images (specifically, iconology, semiotics, and image studies) impact the meanings we elicit from Greek and Roman art. A guide to Classical images of myth, and also a critical history of Classical archaeology's attempts to give meaning to pictures, this book establishes a dialogue with the wider field of art history and proposes a new framework for the study of ancient visual culture. It will be essential reading not just for students of classical art history and archaeology, but for anyone interested in the possibilities - and the history - of studying visual culture. This book: - Proposes a new framework for the study of (ancient) visual culture based on engagement with Greek and Roman mythological imagery, appealing to those seeking to better their understanding of Greek and Roman cultural history. - Relates historiography and method development in Classical archaeology and ancient art history to the art history of more modern periods, and will therefore be of interest to readers interested in the Classical world and those concerned with more recent historical periods. - Tracks intellectual developments in different contexts and carves out their similarities and differences, speaking to readers from different intellectual backgrounds and familiarising them with broader developments in western European art history

Archeologia klasyczna na Uniwersytecie w Poznaniu i konteksty jej powoływania

The article presents the history of Classical Archaeology as a research and study area in Poznań, from the perspective of the times in which it was created and developed. The author of the text also outlines scientific achievements of Poznań university centre in the field. The subject was established already in 1919 with the creation of the University of Poznań itself, and it grew steadily in the interwar period, mainly through the efforts of the only specialist -Mieczysława S. Ruxer, PhD. After World War II, Classical Archaeology had been taught at the University since the resumption of its activities in 1945 until 1969, when it was closed. Archaeologists, however, continued both research and teaching in the area -­­ working in the Institute of History and the Institute of History of Art. Moreover, since 1970 Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań has had its own archaeological mission excavating the ancient legion camp and the city of Novae (present Bulgaria). After the fall of communism and the political transformation in 1989, endeavours were made to reactivate Classical Archaeology in Poznań. As a result, it was re-created in 1999, being a part of the Archaeology subject at the Institute of Prehistory, as a specialisation of Archaeology of the Mediterranean. In 2004 it was renamed and since then there has been the specialisation of Oriental and Ancient Archaeology, developing at the Institute of Prehistory at Adam Mickiewicz University

The time it takes to make: design and use in architecture and archaeology

Book synopsis: Design and Anthropology challenges conventional thinking regarding the nature of design and creativity, in a way that acknowledges the improvisatory skills and perceptual acuity of people. Combining theoretical investigations and documentation of practice based experiments, it addresses methodological questions concerning the re-conceptualisation of the relation between design and use from both theoretical and practice-based positions. Concerned with what it means to draw 'users' into processes of designing and producing this book emphasises the creativity of design and the emergence of objects in social situations and collaborative endeavours. Organised around the themes of perception and the user-producer, skilled practices of designing and using, and the relation between people and things, the book contains the latest work of researchers from academia and industry, to enhance our understanding of ethnographic practice and develop a research agenda for the emergent field of design anthropology. Drawing together work from anthropologists, philosophers, designers, engineers, scholars of innovation and theatre practitioners, Design and Anthropology will appeal to anthropologists and to those working in the fields of design and innovation, and the philosophy of technology and engineering

Value and doubt: the persuasive power of 'authenticity' in the antiquities market

No abstract available

The legacy of nineteenth-century replicas for object cultural biographies : lessons in duplication from 1830s Fife

Peer reviewedPostprin

Artemis: Depictions of Form and Femininity in Sculpture

Grecian sculpture has been the subject of investigation for centuries. More recently, however, emphasis in the field of Art History on the politics of gender and sexuality portrayal have opened new avenues for investigation of those old statues. In depicting gender, Ancient Greek statuary can veer towards the non-binary, with the most striking examples being works depicting Hermaphroditos and ‘his’ bodily form. Yet even within the binary, there are complications. Depictions of the goddess Artemis are chief among these complications of the binary, with even more contradiction, subtext, and varied interpretation than representations of Amazons. The numerous ways Artemis has been portrayed over the years highlight her multifarious aspects, but often paint a contradictory portrait of her femininity. Is she the wild mother? The asexual huntress? Or is she a tempting virgin, whose purity is at risk? Depictions of her in sculptural form, deliberately composed, offer answers. Though as separate depictions they sometimes contradict one another, as a whole, they reveal just how Artemis the female was thought of