Representing people, constituting worlds: multiple 'Neolithics' in the Southern Balkans

This paper considers the diverse iconographic landscapes of the southern Balkans, especiallythose populated by human figurines. The main premise is that material culture is a resource upon which agents draw to situate themselves in the world. In this way, regional traits are deemed particularly important for the constitution of specific subjectivities, in contrast to a generic ‘Neolithic individual’, and at the same time, for the constitution of specific local worlds as opposed to an all-encompassing world that is merely experienced differently. I attempt to provide an example of such regional traits that would have constituted different contexts for agency during the Neolithic and focus on the differences between two regions within the southern Balkans, regions that do not remain the same in the course of time.Članek preučuje različne neolitske ikonografske krajine južnega Balkana, zlasti tiste, ki jih poseljujejo človeške figurine. Glavna predpostavka je, da je materialna kultura vir, s katerim se delovanja umeščajo v svet. Na ta način so regionalne poteze posebej oblikovane v posebne subjektivitete, ki delujejo kot nasprotja generični ‘neolitski individualnosti’. Oblikujejo tudi posebne lokalne svetove kot nasprotek drugače doživetemu vse-obsegajočemu svetu. Poskušam predstaviti primer takšnih regionalnih potez, ki v neolitiku oblikujejo različne kontekste delovanja in se osredotočiti na razlike med dvema regijama na južnem Balkanu, ki sta se skozi čas spreminjali

Situated intentions

Introduction To my mind the impetus that brought these papers together is entirely implicit and yet clear: it has to do with deliberation, with intentionality. This is perfectly resonate with the focus of archaeology on agency and the individual for at least the past thirty years and it makes perfect sense to probe such issues from diverse angles bringing new perspectives on the lives of past people. This paper is an attempt to contribute to a better understanding of the terms employed in the..

THRAVSMA

How does intentionally inflicting damage to material objects mediate the human experience in the prehistoric eastern Mediterranean? For all of the diversity in cultural practice in the civilisations of the Greek mainland and Aegean islands, Crete, Cyprus and the eastern coast of Italy between 4000-750 BC, archaeologists consider the custom of ritually killing objects as a normative, if inconsistent practice. Yet as artefacts that are alike only in that they have been disarticulated, intentionally destroyed objects defy easy characterization. Such pieces frequently stand outside of clearly defined patterns. This volume is an initial step in addressing a gap in the scholarship by aiming to deconstruct and contextualize the practice of intentional fragmentation. The case studies in this volume present a diverse range of evidence, including pottery, lithics, metals, jewellery, figurines, buildings and human remains, in an exploration of the wide spectrum of meanings behind material destruction

QUALITIES OF HUMANNESS Material Aspects of Greek Neolithic Anthropomorphic Imagery

This article considers the materialization of human representations in Neolithic northern Greece and particularly the materials used in their production. Contending that materialization is contingent upon but not reducible to the materials used, an attempt is made to understand the implications of using different materials to represent humans, especially clay and stone. Thus, it is suggested that in the earlier Neolithic, clay and stone were reserved for different classes of artefacts. Human figures in this period show an interest in action, whereas in the later Neolithic, changes occur that suggest a preoccupation with the substance of the figures. It is suggested that these changes point to the emergence of different subjectivities during the later Neolithic