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Reconciling Materials, Artefacts and Images : An Examination of the Material Transformations Undergone by the Philioremos Anthropomorphic Figurines

Murphy, Celine (2016) Reconciling Materials, Artefacts and Images : An Examination of the Material Transformations Undergone by the Philioremos Anthropomorphic Figurines. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent,. (doi:10.22024/UniKent/01.02.57949) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:57949)

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Language: English

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Abstract

Visually-compelling small finds have traditionally been examined for their appearances. These artefacts, consisting of figurines, ornaments and body adornments, for example, have been primarily studied for the meanings that the images they project might have held. Strikingly fewer are analyses of these objects' material qualities. Frequently ignored are their composition, the sourcing and working of their materials, or their materiality.

The aim of this thesis is to reconcile considerations of the visual and material aspects of visually compelling small finds. It is here argued that examinations of the material aspects of artefacts can reveal important information about the course of their production and consumption, and about the nature of the relationships involved therein. The volume's reconciliatory endeavour is thus undertaken with the creation of a new materially-inclusive, biographically-orientated, methodologically-holistic and multi-scalar framework. Bolstered by theories drawn from philosophy and the social sciences, this methodology allows for closer investigations into the web of closely-knit inter-nodal relationships maintained between humans, materials and the environment during the making and the use of material culture.

The following chapters present the results of the framework's application to the clay anthropomorphic figurines from the Minoan peak sanctuary of Philioremos. The various ways in which clay was engaged with during the different stages of the figurines' becoming and unbecoming are explored. The types of relationships that the artefacts' production and consumption

depended upon and engendered, alongside the types of knowledge these dynamics were rooted in, are then discussed. Subsequently, broader considerations of the use of the human body as a representational theme are undertaken.

In reconciling examinations of the visual and material qualities of the Philioremos figurines, this thesis demonstrates the utility of a materially-integrative approach. Ultimately, this study contributes to two main areas of current archaeological interest simultaneously: the analysis of prehistoric material culture and the examination of Minoan peak sanctuary anthropomorphic figurines more specifically.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD))
DOI/Identification number: 10.22024/UniKent/01.02.57949
Additional information: The author of this thesis has requested that it be held under closed access. We are sorry but we will not be able to give you access or pass on any requests for access. 23/05/22
Uncontrolled keywords: Minoan figurines, anthropomorphic, peak sanctuary, clay, production, consumption, experimentation
Subjects: C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Depositing User: Users 1 not found.
Date Deposited: 18 Oct 2016 17:00 UTC
Last Modified: 27 Jul 2022 08:48 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/57949 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Murphy, Celine.

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