In six articles the purpose of historiography is discussed, that is the study of the mechanisms and factors that lie behind the ideas and stereotypes of an era. Before Schliemann, were collectors of Aegean prehistoric antiquities interested in the archaeological nature of their collections? The Cycladic idols that were looked upon with contempt by those who admired the classical ideal were greatly admired by followers of the modern movement at the end of the 19th century. The social and cultural background of Schliemann, Dorpfeld, or Tsountas certainly influenced their archaeological research and various interpretations of it. Why should an archaeologist long to give a Homeric name to a Mycenaean site discovered by him? Evans made up an image of ancient Crete that stood for everything that was the exact opposite of the Victorian ,industrial society of the England he came from. There is also a similarity between Cretan Mycenaean and contemporary art.
Historiography. Writing the history of the prehistoric Aegean
27 Aug 2012
by Archaeology Newsroom
- A
- A
- A