THE POWER OF IMAGES: RE-EXAMINING THE WALL PAINTINGS FROM THE THRONE ROOM AT KNOSSOS

The aim of this paper is to re-examine the painted fragments discovered by Arthur Evans and his team in the Throne Room at Knossos in 1900. We have tried to integrate systematically the extant archival data stored in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and the archaeological remains at Herakleion in an attempt to retrace the history of discovery of the paintings. In our view, the iconography of this programme places its execution at the onset of Late Minoan (LM) II. We see the inclusion of both ‘traditional’ (Neopalatial) and ‘innovative’ (Final Palatial) elements in the composition as suggestive of an attempt on behalf of the artist(s) and the commissioner(s) to blend artistic traditions in the creation of a new, yet still recognisable, image of power. We assess the implications stemming from this suggestion and interpret the decorative programme of the Throne Room at Knossos as part and expression of the emergence of the wanax ideology.The study of the palm fresco was supported by a generous grant from the Arthur Evans Fund (Ashmolean Museum) and the Craven Committee, University of Oxford. Additional financial support came from the Faculty of Classics and Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge

Spirals, Bulls, and Sacred Landscapes: The Meaningful Appearance of Pictorial Objects within their Spatial and Social Contexts

One of the most distinctive achievements of the Neopalatial period was the new and more elaborate way of providing the ‘lived-in’ environment of Bronze Age Crete with visual statements. Images and iconic objects now served to visualise and to present selected ideas and themes of relevance within certain spatial and social contexts much more abundantly than before. Pictorial representations were applied on the walls of architectural units designed for social activities, on vessels meant for ri..

Spirals, Bulls, and Sacred Landscapes: The Meaningful Appearance of Pictorial Objects within their Spatial and Social Contexts

One of the most distinctive achievements of the Neopalatial period was the new and more elaborate way of providing the ‘lived-in’ environment of Bronze Age Crete with visual statements. Images and iconic objects now served to visualise and to present selected ideas and themes of relevance within certain spatial and social contexts much more abundantly than before. Pictorial representations were applied on the walls of architectural units designed for social activities, on vessels meant for ri..

Minoische Bild-Räume

This volume presents a new analysis of the wall paintings discovered over a hundred years ago in one of the most important centres of Minoan culture, the palace at Knossos. Introducing the theoretical concept of Bild-Raum, a relational construct linking pictorial elements with humans, actions and places, the aim is to produce new insights as to the types of rituals, ideas and people which can be related with individual parts of the palace based on the decoration painted on the walls. The images and architecture of three key areas of the palace are studied in broad detail, improving our understanding of performances and people involved and their role within the complex history of the Late Bronze Age palace at Knossos.; Der vorliegende Band stellt eine neue Analyse der Wandbilder vor, die vor über 100 Jahren an den Wänden des bedeutendsten Zentrums der minoischen Kultur, des Palastes von Knossos, gefunden wurden. Im Mittelpunkt der Untersuchungen steht der Begriff des Bild-Raums, eine theoretisch begründete, relationale Verknüpfung von Bildelementen, Menschen, Handlungen und Orten. Das Ziel ist es, basierend auf dem Wanddekor einzelner Gebäudetrakte ein besseres Verständnis der einst mit ihnen verbundenen Rituale, Ideen und Personen zu gewinnen. In ausführlichen Fallstudien werden die Bild-Räume dreier bedeutender Palastareale analysiert, rekonstruiert und in ihren spätbronzezeitlichen Kontext gestellt

Introduction: the Power of Images and Architecture

In his visionary novel “Die andere Seite” Alfred Kubin described the social context of images at his imaginary capital Perle as follows: “Besondere Museen, Bildergalerien etc. haben wir nicht. Wertvolle Kunstwerke werden nicht aufgestapelt, aber im einzelnen werden Sie gar manches außergewöhnliche Stück erblicken. Es ist alles verteilt, sozusagen im Gebrauch.” Kubin’s words perfectly describe the actual function of images in an ancient society, where they were not contained in museums but ins..

Minoan Realities

What is the social role of images and architecture in a pre-modern society? How were they used to create adequate environments for specific profane and ritual activities? In which ways did they interact with each other? These and other crucial issues on the social significance of imagery and built structures in Neopalatial Crete were the subject of a workshop which took place on November 16th, 2009 at the University of Heidelberg. The papers presented in the workshop are collected in the pres..

Introduction: “Minoan Archaeology”

Conference participants, photographed in front of the Heuscheuer at Heidelberg The turn of the new century coincided with the completion of 100 years of systematic archaeological research on Crete. The occasion of this anniversary has already triggered several retrospective and prospective views on the aims, methods, deficits and potentials of this discipline. On 23rd March 2011 – exactly 111 years after Sir Arthur Evans’ spade made the first cut into the earth above the now well-known Palace..

Preface and Acknowledgements

On March 23, 2011 – on the 111th anniversary of Arthur Evans’ first working day at Knossos – the international conference “Minoan Archaeology. Challenges and Perspectives for the 21st Century” was launched at the Institute of Classical Archaeology, University of Heidelberg. For five days, early career researchers shared their ideas and concepts with some leading scholars of the field and engaged in discussions revolving around the current character, potential and scopes of Minoan Archaeology...

Minoan Realities

What is the social role of images and architecture in a pre-modern society? How were they used to create adequate environments for specific profane and ritual activities? In which ways did they interact with each other? These and other crucial issues on the social significance of imagery and built structures in Neopalatial Crete were the subject of a workshop which took place on November 16th, 2009 at the University of Heidelberg. The papers presented in the workshop are collected in the present volume. They provide different approaches to this complex topic and are aimed at a better understanding of the formation, role, and perception of images and architecture in a very dynamic social landscape. The Cretan Neopalatial period saw a rapid increase in the number of palaces and ‘villas', characterized by elaborate designs and idiosyncratic architectural patterns which were themselves in turn generated by a pressing desire for a distinctive social and performative environment. At the same time, a new form of imagery made its appearance in a broad spectrum of objects and spaces which were ‘decorated' with meaningful motifs chosen from a restricted and repetitive pictorial repertoire. This standardized repertoire indicates the configuration of a coherent pictorial program which was implemented in several social situations. The present volume is intended not only for specialists in Minoan culture but also for readers who are interested in the social dimension of images and architectural remains and especially in issues relating to their materiality, use and perception