Stephanie M Langin-Hooper
Biographic Data
| ID | 1419152 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stephanie M Langin-Hooper |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stephanie M |
| FAMILY NAME | Langin-Hooper |
| SIGNATURE | LANGIN-HOOPER S M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Southern Methodist University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1921-3922 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 28 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The Performance of Childcare: Ambiguity and Idealization in Terracotta Figurines depicting Women with Children in Hellenistic Babylonia
This article investigates terracotta figurines representing women with children from Hellenistic Babylonia. Evidence from the objects themselves as well as their archaeological contexts suggests that these figurines were intended for use in public spaces, possibly temples, where these women were role models in the performance of ideal relationships with, and care for, children. The ambiguity inherent to miniaturization was utilized to leave the i…
Making Wonder in Miniature: A New Approach to Theorizing the Affective Properties and Social Consequences of Small-Scale Artworks from Hellenistic Babylonia
This article proposes an interpretive framework of paradox and wonder as a new approach to understanding the affective properties and social consequences of miniature objects in the archaeological record. Building upon current scholarly theories of miniatures as inherently intimate, this approach accounts for how small-scale artworks were also designed and deliberately manufactured to elude user attempts at full sensory access and immersive escap…
Burying the Alabaster Goddess in Hellenistic Babylonia: Religious Power, Sexual Agency, and Accessing the Afterlife Through Ishtar-Aphrodite Figurines from Seleucid-Parthian Iraq
This article presents a new evaluation of alabaster figurines wearing crescent crowns, identified as the syncretized deity Ishtar-Aphrodite, from the Seleucid-Parthian period in Babylonia (ca. second century BCE–first century CE). Unlike previous studies, this article recontextualizes the alabaster goddesses as the most opulent and explicitly divine versions of two popular types in the broader, flourishing figurine tradition of Hellenistic Babylo…
Mammonymy, Maternal-Line Names, and Cultural Identification: Clues from the Onomasticon of Hellenistic Uruk
The onomasticon of Hellenistic Uruk demonstrates that, in some cases, individuals with Greek names were included in otherwise Babylonian families. Often, such Greek names have been interpreted by scholars as evidence for Hellenization. This article suggests an alternate explanation, based on evidence throughout the family trees for a series of naming practices that focus on the perpetuation of names of female relatives and transmission of preferr…
New Book on Babylonian Figurines. Figurines in Hellenistic Babylonia: Miniaturization and Cultural Hybridity
This book provides a comprehensive exploration of miniaturization theory and adds new advances to the study of tiny objects. Cross-cultural interaction and cultural hybridity are explored in dialogue with another theory/methodology (miniaturization) in order to show how these concepts can be used together to better understand ancient objects. In addition, the book presents many case study examples of how to interpret figurines based on their mate…
Figurines in Hellenistic Babylonia: Miniaturization and Cultural Hybridity
In this volume, Stephanie M. Langin-Hooper investigates the impact of Greek art on the miniature figure sculptures produced in Babylonia after the conquests of Alexander the Great. Figurines in Hellenistic Babylonia were used as agents of social change, by visually expressing and negotiating cultural differences. The scaled-down quality of figurines encouraged both visual and tactile engagement, enabling them to effectively work as non-threatenin…
The Tiny and the Fragmented. Miniature, Broken, or Otherwise Incomplete Objects in the Ancient World
Miniature and fragmentary objects are both eye-catching and yet easily dismissed. Tiny scale entices users with visions of Lilliputian worlds. The ambiguity of fragments intrigues us, offering tactile reminders of reality's transience. Yet, the standard scholarly approach to such objects has been to see them as secondary, incomplete things, whose principal purpose was to refer to a complete and often life-size whole
The Tiny and the Fragmented
Miniature and fragmentary objects are both remarkably fascinating and easily dismissed. Tiny scale entices users with visions of Lilliputian worlds. The ambiguity of fragments intrigues us, offering vivid reminders of the transitory nature of reality. Yet, the standard scholarly approach to such objects has been to see them as secondary, incomplete things, designed primarily to refer to a complete and often life-sized whole. This volume offers a …
Tiny and Fragmented Votive Offerings from Classical Antiquity: Miniature, Broken, or Otherwise Incomplete Objects in the Ancient World
This chapter addresses tiny and fragmented votive offerings from the ancient Greco-Roman world. The first half of the chapter surveys different kinds of votive fragmentation, ranging from objects that were physically ruptured before dedication, to conceptually ‘partial’ offerings like tithes and first fruits. I argue that the deliberate or accidental breakage of votives often paradoxically increased the value and meaning of the offering in the ey…
Seleucid-Parthian Figurines From Babylon in the Nippur Collection: Implications of Misattribution and Re-Evaluating the Corpus
This article formally documents an important correction to the provenance attribution of three reclining female figurines from Babylon that reside in the Nippur collection at the University of Pennsylvania Museum and were published with that corpus. Few scholars have noticed the misattribution of these figurines, and the problem has not been formally documented for scholarship. Through historiographical analysis of the late nineteenth century Nip…
Life in Miniature Exhibition at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology: Intertwining Theoretical and Traditional Approaches in the Exhibition of Terracotta Figurines and Other Miniature Objects
The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology recently hosted a special exhibition, entitled Life in Miniature: Identity and Display at Ancient Seleucia-on-the-Tigris, co-curated by myself (Stephanie Langin-Hooper) and Sharon Herbert.Indeed, the focus of the show was to illustrate how and why terracotta figurines and other miniatures were used in the everyday lives of the people of Seleucia-on-the-Tigris
Fascination with the tiny: Social negotiation through miniatures in Hellenistic Babylonia
The tremendous diversity and variety of miniature objects in Hellenistic Babylonia reflects a social environment of intensive cross-cultural interaction and widespread change. Considering the aspect of miniaturization itself reveals how tiny things participated in this social transformation. Through their appealing and non-threatening materiality, miniatures established an intimate connection with their users that encouraged identity sharing and …
Figuring Out the Figurines of the Ancient Near East
We are pleased to announce the publication of Figuring Out the Figurines of the Ancient Near East, edited by Stephanie Langin-Hooper. This is the first volume in the series Occasional Papers in Coroplastic Studies that is designed to provide a forum for the publication of peer-reviewed papers dedicated to coroplastic research. This series is published by ACoSt. This present volume of 80 pages comprises 4 papers that were delivered at one of the t…
Zeugma as the provenance of 12 mosaic fragments at Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio is the current owner of 12 sections of floor mosaic dating to the 2nd-3rd c. A.D. Purchased by the university in 1965, these mosaic fragments were believed to be from the site of Antioch. In 2010-11, the mosaics were conserved and installed in BGSU’s Wolfe Center. In the following year the first-named author, organizing a symposium to celebrate the new display of the mosaics, invited R. Molholt to be …
Social Networks and Cross‐cultural Interaction: A New Interpretation of the Female Terracotta Figurines of Hellenistic Babylon
In the study of the Hellenistic period in Babylon, cross‐cultural interactions between Greeks and native Babylonians have been primarily interpreted using colonialist theories of Hellenisation, domination, and cultural isolation. This paper finds, however, that such theories cannot adequately explain the types of cross‐cultural combinations seen in the archaeological record of female Hellenistic Babylonian terracotta figurines. The forms and func…
Fascination with the tiny: Social negotiation through miniatures in Hellenistic Babylonia
The tremendous diversity and variety of miniature objects in Hellenistic Babylonia reflects a social environment of intensive cross-cultural interaction and widespread change. Considering the aspect of miniaturization itself reveals how tiny things participated in this social transformation. Through their appealing and non-threatening materiality, miniatures established an intimate connection with their users that encouraged identity sharing and …
Figurines in Hellenistic Babylonia: Miniaturization and Cultural Hybridity
In this volume, Stephanie M. Langin-Hooper investigates the impact of Greek art on the miniature figure sculptures produced in Babylonia after the conquests of Alexander the Great. Figurines in Hellenistic Babylonia were used as agents of social change, by visually expressing and negotiating cultural differences. The scaled-down quality of figurines encouraged both visual and tactile engagement, enabling them to effectively work as non-threatenin…
Social Networks and Cross‐cultural Interaction: A New Interpretation of the Female Terracotta Figurines of Hellenistic Babylon
In the study of the Hellenistic period in Babylon, cross‐cultural interactions between Greeks and native Babylonians have been primarily interpreted using colonialist theories of Hellenisation, domination, and cultural isolation. This paper finds, however, that such theories cannot adequately explain the types of cross‐cultural combinations seen in the archaeological record of female Hellenistic Babylonian terracotta figurines. The forms and func…
Making Wonder in Miniature: A New Approach to Theorizing the Affective Properties and Social Consequences of Small-Scale Artworks from Hellenistic Babylonia
This article proposes an interpretive framework of paradox and wonder as a new approach to understanding the affective properties and social consequences of miniature objects in the archaeological record. Building upon current scholarly theories of miniatures as inherently intimate, this approach accounts for how small-scale artworks were also designed and deliberately manufactured to elude user attempts at full sensory access and immersive escap…
Mammonymy, Maternal-Line Names, and Cultural Identification: Clues from the Onomasticon of Hellenistic Uruk
The onomasticon of Hellenistic Uruk demonstrates that, in some cases, individuals with Greek names were included in otherwise Babylonian families. Often, such Greek names have been interpreted by scholars as evidence for Hellenization. This article suggests an alternate explanation, based on evidence throughout the family trees for a series of naming practices that focus on the perpetuation of names of female relatives and transmission of preferr…
Tiny and Fragmented Votive Offerings from Classical Antiquity: Miniature, Broken, or Otherwise Incomplete Objects in the Ancient World
This chapter addresses tiny and fragmented votive offerings from the ancient Greco-Roman world. The first half of the chapter surveys different kinds of votive fragmentation, ranging from objects that were physically ruptured before dedication, to conceptually ‘partial’ offerings like tithes and first fruits. I argue that the deliberate or accidental breakage of votives often paradoxically increased the value and meaning of the offering in the ey…
Social Networks and Cross‐cultural Interaction: A New Interpretation of the Female Terracotta Figurines of Hellenistic Babylon
In the study of the Hellenistic period in Babylon, cross‐cultural interactions between Greeks and native Babylonians have been primarily interpreted using colonialist theories of Hellenisation, domination, and cultural isolation. This paper finds, however, that such theories cannot adequately explain the types of cross‐cultural combinations seen in the archaeological record of female Hellenistic Babylonian terracotta figurines. The forms and func…
Zeugma as the provenance of 12 mosaic fragments at Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio is the current owner of 12 sections of floor mosaic dating to the 2nd-3rd c. A.D. Purchased by the university in 1965, these mosaic fragments were believed to be from the site of Antioch. In 2010-11, the mosaics were conserved and installed in BGSU’s Wolfe Center. In the following year the first-named author, organizing a symposium to celebrate the new display of the mosaics, invited R. Molholt to be …
Figuring Out the Figurines of the Ancient Near East
We are pleased to announce the publication of Figuring Out the Figurines of the Ancient Near East, edited by Stephanie Langin-Hooper. This is the first volume in the series Occasional Papers in Coroplastic Studies that is designed to provide a forum for the publication of peer-reviewed papers dedicated to coroplastic research. This series is published by ACoSt. This present volume of 80 pages comprises 4 papers that were delivered at one of the t…
Life in Miniature Exhibition at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology: Intertwining Theoretical and Traditional Approaches in the Exhibition of Terracotta Figurines and Other Miniature Objects
The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology recently hosted a special exhibition, entitled Life in Miniature: Identity and Display at Ancient Seleucia-on-the-Tigris, co-curated by myself (Stephanie Langin-Hooper) and Sharon Herbert.Indeed, the focus of the show was to illustrate how and why terracotta figurines and other miniatures were used in the everyday lives of the people of Seleucia-on-the-Tigris
Fascination with the tiny: Social negotiation through miniatures in Hellenistic Babylonia
The tremendous diversity and variety of miniature objects in Hellenistic Babylonia reflects a social environment of intensive cross-cultural interaction and widespread change. Considering the aspect of miniaturization itself reveals how tiny things participated in this social transformation. Through their appealing and non-threatening materiality, miniatures established an intimate connection with their users that encouraged identity sharing and …
Seleucid-Parthian Figurines From Babylon in the Nippur Collection: Implications of Misattribution and Re-Evaluating the Corpus
This article formally documents an important correction to the provenance attribution of three reclining female figurines from Babylon that reside in the Nippur collection at the University of Pennsylvania Museum and were published with that corpus. Few scholars have noticed the misattribution of these figurines, and the problem has not been formally documented for scholarship. Through historiographical analysis of the late nineteenth century Nip…
The Tiny and the Fragmented
Miniature and fragmentary objects are both remarkably fascinating and easily dismissed. Tiny scale entices users with visions of Lilliputian worlds. The ambiguity of fragments intrigues us, offering vivid reminders of the transitory nature of reality. Yet, the standard scholarly approach to such objects has been to see them as secondary, incomplete things, designed primarily to refer to a complete and often life-sized whole. This volume offers a …
Tiny and Fragmented Votive Offerings from Classical Antiquity: Miniature, Broken, or Otherwise Incomplete Objects in the Ancient World
This chapter addresses tiny and fragmented votive offerings from the ancient Greco-Roman world. The first half of the chapter surveys different kinds of votive fragmentation, ranging from objects that were physically ruptured before dedication, to conceptually ‘partial’ offerings like tithes and first fruits. I argue that the deliberate or accidental breakage of votives often paradoxically increased the value and meaning of the offering in the ey…
The Tiny and the Fragmented. Miniature, Broken, or Otherwise Incomplete Objects in the Ancient World
Miniature and fragmentary objects are both eye-catching and yet easily dismissed. Tiny scale entices users with visions of Lilliputian worlds. The ambiguity of fragments intrigues us, offering tactile reminders of reality's transience. Yet, the standard scholarly approach to such objects has been to see them as secondary, incomplete things, whose principal purpose was to refer to a complete and often life-size whole
New Book on Babylonian Figurines. Figurines in Hellenistic Babylonia: Miniaturization and Cultural Hybridity
This book provides a comprehensive exploration of miniaturization theory and adds new advances to the study of tiny objects. Cross-cultural interaction and cultural hybridity are explored in dialogue with another theory/methodology (miniaturization) in order to show how these concepts can be used together to better understand ancient objects. In addition, the book presents many case study examples of how to interpret figurines based on their mate…
Figurines in Hellenistic Babylonia: Miniaturization and Cultural Hybridity
In this volume, Stephanie M. Langin-Hooper investigates the impact of Greek art on the miniature figure sculptures produced in Babylonia after the conquests of Alexander the Great. Figurines in Hellenistic Babylonia were used as agents of social change, by visually expressing and negotiating cultural differences. The scaled-down quality of figurines encouraged both visual and tactile engagement, enabling them to effectively work as non-threatenin…
Mammonymy, Maternal-Line Names, and Cultural Identification: Clues from the Onomasticon of Hellenistic Uruk
The onomasticon of Hellenistic Uruk demonstrates that, in some cases, individuals with Greek names were included in otherwise Babylonian families. Often, such Greek names have been interpreted by scholars as evidence for Hellenization. This article suggests an alternate explanation, based on evidence throughout the family trees for a series of naming practices that focus on the perpetuation of names of female relatives and transmission of preferr…
Burying the Alabaster Goddess in Hellenistic Babylonia: Religious Power, Sexual Agency, and Accessing the Afterlife Through Ishtar-Aphrodite Figurines from Seleucid-Parthian Iraq
This article presents a new evaluation of alabaster figurines wearing crescent crowns, identified as the syncretized deity Ishtar-Aphrodite, from the Seleucid-Parthian period in Babylonia (ca. second century BCE–first century CE). Unlike previous studies, this article recontextualizes the alabaster goddesses as the most opulent and explicitly divine versions of two popular types in the broader, flourishing figurine tradition of Hellenistic Babylo…
Making Wonder in Miniature: A New Approach to Theorizing the Affective Properties and Social Consequences of Small-Scale Artworks from Hellenistic Babylonia
This article proposes an interpretive framework of paradox and wonder as a new approach to understanding the affective properties and social consequences of miniature objects in the archaeological record. Building upon current scholarly theories of miniatures as inherently intimate, this approach accounts for how small-scale artworks were also designed and deliberately manufactured to elude user attempts at full sensory access and immersive escap…
The Performance of Childcare: Ambiguity and Idealization in Terracotta Figurines depicting Women with Children in Hellenistic Babylonia
This article investigates terracotta figurines representing women with children from Hellenistic Babylonia. Evidence from the objects themselves as well as their archaeological contexts suggests that these figurines were intended for use in public spaces, possibly temples, where these women were role models in the performance of ideal relationships with, and care for, children. The ambiguity inherent to miniaturization was utilized to leave the i…
Art (12 works) · History (11 works) · Ancient Near East History (9 works) · Classical Antiquity Studies (7 works) · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies (7 works) · Aesthetics (6 works) · Literature (6 works) · Anthropology (5 works) · Archaeology (5 works) · Sociology (5 works)