Animal Scavenging as Social Metaphor
A Carved Chlorite Vessel of the Halil Rud Civilization, Kerman, Iran, Mid Third Millenniumbc
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6044772 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Massimo Vidale (0000-0002-0543-6511, University of Padua, corresponding author), N Eskandari (0000-0001-8461-9000, University of Tehran), Mojgan Shafiee (0000-0002-2564-2347, Université Lumière Lyon 2), Irene Caldana (University of Padua), François Desset (0000-0003-1898-1663, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 705-722 |
| Publication date | 2021-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cambridge Archaeological Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-7743 • E-ISSN: 1474-0540 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0959774321000305 |
| OpenAlex | W3206703884 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
A fragmentary large chlorite vessel of the Halil Rud valley civilization (Kerman, Iran, mid third millenniumbc), found in unknown circumstances and recently recovered by the police forces of Iran, is discussed in the wider scenario of coeval animal iconographies of middle and southwest Asia. Beginning from the imagery carved in the two superimposed friezes of the reassembled fragments, we review the different theoretical approaches in interpretation of similar animal iconography. The figuration of the vessel is interpreted as a scene of the scavenging of bovine carcasses by three different animal actors: lions and birds of prey/vultures, but also hyenas—a subject previously unknown in the art of the reference regions. Following a review of the interrelations of these species in scavenging and with humans, particularly in the coeval context of domestic animal exploitation and developing urban settlement, we investigate the potential semantic implications of the iconography in terms of the symbolism and ideology in the social context
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Civilization · Geography · Iconography · Ideology · Literature · Metaphor · Mythology · Politics · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Ancient Near East History · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · History · Philosophy
First impressions
The lion, the king and the cage
Foreign Stone Vessels of the Late Third Millennium B.C. from Southern Mesopotamia
The Symbolic Role of Animals in Archaeology
The Question of Marḫaši
Object, Images, and Text
The 'Intercultural Style' Carved Vessels
New insights into the characterization and provenance of chlorite objects from the Jiroft civilization in Iran
The Magicality of the Hyena
Late Chalcolithic mass graves at Tell Brak, Syria, and violent conflict during the growth of early city-states
Shepherds’ local knowledge and scientific data on the scavenging ecosystem service
The Legend of Etana
Physical and Chemical Analyses of Soft Stone Vessels From Southwest Asia
"Steatite" Carvings of the Early Third Millennium B. C
The Balance of Trade in Southwestern Asia in the Mid-Third Millennium B.C. [and Comments and Reply]
Decomposition as Life Politics
À travers l’ornementation des vases et objets en chlorite de Jiroft
L'iconographie des vases et objets en chlorite de Jiroft (Iran)
The Encultured Vulture
The Oldest Depictions of Canines and a Possible Early Breed of Dog in Iran
PG 1237, Royal Cemetery of Ur
Mesopotamian Petrology
Our Past Matters
Critical perspectives on multispecies ethnography
Archaeology and Human-Animal Relations
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |