Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
AmirGolani,ZuzannaWygnańska
Asaestheticobjectsofvalueandskilledcraf,ancientjewelrycommandsacertain
fascination,yethaslargelybeenoverlookedincomparisontoothercomponentsofmaterial
cultureinarchaeologicalstudy.Teallureofjewelryisfoundnotonlyinitsaestheticappeal
butalsorelatestoitsvariousintrinsicpropertiesthatprovideitwithsocial,culticandeven
economicsignificance.
Tesocio-culturalaspectsofjewelrymayinvolveitsuseasamethodofself-expression,
afactoringenderorstatusdetermination,ameasureofwealthandsocialstatus,orevenan
ethnicmarker.Personalornamentswereofenemployedasobjectsofculticsignificance,
whiletheirmaterialsandiconographyprobablyheldapotropaicpowersaswell.Jewelry
mayhavealsoservedaneconomicfunction,beingoccasionallyusedasanelementin
commerceandthematerialsofwhichitwasmadeareameasureofchangingtechnological
abilitiesandsocio-economicrealities.Inaddition,jewelryasobjectsoftheminorarts
invariablyfunctionsasamediumforculturalexchange,soitisparticularlyrelevantfor
thestudyofinter-culturalcontactsandtheassimilationofculturaltraitsandthechanges
alectingthemovertime.Clearly,thesignificanceofjewelryisfarbeyondornamentation.
Itsuseinthepastaswellasinthepresentisobviouslyameansofconveyinginformation.
Teimportanceofjewelrytothestudyofancientartandtechnology,aswellastothe
understandingoftheaesthetic,culticandsocio-economicfactorsthatledtoitscreation
anduseshouldnotbeunderestimated.
Jewelryisoneofabroadrangeofmaterialcultureobjectsthatmayberecoveredduring
excavation.Itisthussurprisingwhyjewelryhasreceivedonlylimitedattentioninthe
archaeologicalliteraturefromtheMediterraneanandassociatedregions.Suchdisregard
ispointedlyincontrastwiththeattitudetowardpersonaladornmentsshownbyscholars
dealingwithprehistoricarchaeologyinEurope,wherethestudyofancientjewelryhas
beenofimportanceindefiningculturalinfluencesbetweenregionsandinchronological
interpretation.
Incontrasttomorecommonlyfoundobjectssuchasceramics,whichunderwent
continuousstylisticandtechnologicalchangesovertime,ancientjewelrywasofenmore
conservativeinnature,retainingstylisticandtechnologicalcharacteristicsforcenturies
orevenmillennia.ItisthusunderstandablewhyNearEasternresearchhasconcentrated
moreelort,forexample,onceramicclassificationthanonjewelrytypologyasthelatter
doesnotprovideanelectivetoolforchronologicaldating.Nevertheless,jewelrysheds
lightonabroadspectrumofsubjects,rangingfromchangingsocio-economicprocessesto
sophisticatedtechnologiesandreligiousbeliefs.
11
PAM23/2:SpecialStudies
