The Egyptianizing, male, limestone statuary from Cyprus - a study of a cross-cultural, Eastern Mediterranean votive type
Faegersten, Fanni LU
(2003)
- Abstract
- This thesis is a study of a particular limestone votive statuary type which was dedicated in the sanctuaries on Cyprus during the entire 6th century B.C. Common to the group of figures is that they are wearing a Cypriote version of an Egyptian-type outfit, including characteristic Egyptian royal headgear and jewelry. In order to be able to answer questions on the origin of the Egyptianizing iconography encountered on the island, the reasons for the introduction of this particular votive statuary type in the Cypriote workshops, and the significance of the Egyptianizing figures within the sanctuaries of the island, a series of analyses are introduced. A typological analysis of the apparel of the figures is carried out, and the stylistic... (More)
- This thesis is a study of a particular limestone votive statuary type which was dedicated in the sanctuaries on Cyprus during the entire 6th century B.C. Common to the group of figures is that they are wearing a Cypriote version of an Egyptian-type outfit, including characteristic Egyptian royal headgear and jewelry. In order to be able to answer questions on the origin of the Egyptianizing iconography encountered on the island, the reasons for the introduction of this particular votive statuary type in the Cypriote workshops, and the significance of the Egyptianizing figures within the sanctuaries of the island, a series of analyses are introduced. A typological analysis of the apparel of the figures is carried out, and the stylistic properties of the statuary are outlined. In addition, the archaeological contexts of the figures are investigated. The foreign iconography found in these Cypriote figures made it necessary to turn outside the island: the focus is placed on the only other find concentration of Egyptianizing statuary outside Cyprus, on the Phoenician coast. Through a similar series of analyses carried out on the Phoenician material, it can be stated that part of the statuary found there was Cypriote imports, while another part constituted indigenous, Phoenician Egyptianizing stone statuary. Against this background theories on the transmission of this particular iconography and votive figural type to Cyprus are presented. Through an analysis involving detailed comparisons with different categories of foreign material, it is suggested that the material and the craft tradition which lay behind the introduction of the Egyptianizing statuary on Cyprus were not the ones behind the Phoenician stone statues, nor was there any actual direct connection to contemporary Egyptian craftsmanship and technology or the Nilotic religious sphere. The analysis points rather towards a material category which for obvious reasons is only very sparsely preserved in the archaeological material record: Phoenician, large-scale ivory-on-wood statuary. Based on this suggestion, it is possible to better understand the significance of the Egyptianizing statuary on display in the ancient Cypriote sanctuaries: they are not to be viewed against an Egyptian religious background, but rather as an outcrop of a royal Phoenician iconography which found its way to the island, an iconography where a decorative and colorful statuary type clad in Egyptian-type dress was an acknowledged means to attract the attention of the divine powers. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract in Swedish
Denna avhandling är en studie av en grupp cypriska stenskulpturer som ställdes upp som votivgåvor i öns tempel och helgedomar under 500-talet f.Kr. Det som utmärker gruppen är att de bär cypriska versioner av karakteristisk egyptisk klädedräkt och smycken. För att kunna svara på frågor som varför denna egyptiserande votivtyp dedicerades på ön, varifrån impulserna kom och vad de betydde på ön så genomförs en rad analyser, bl.a. av figurernas dräkt och kroppsform, av deras arkeologiska fyndkontexter och av relaterat material funnet utanför ön. Detta besläktade material visade sig vara mer eller mindre begränsat till den feniciska kusten, nuvarande Libanon och Syrien. Genom tillämpandet av samma... (More) - Popular Abstract in Swedish
Denna avhandling är en studie av en grupp cypriska stenskulpturer som ställdes upp som votivgåvor i öns tempel och helgedomar under 500-talet f.Kr. Det som utmärker gruppen är att de bär cypriska versioner av karakteristisk egyptisk klädedräkt och smycken. För att kunna svara på frågor som varför denna egyptiserande votivtyp dedicerades på ön, varifrån impulserna kom och vad de betydde på ön så genomförs en rad analyser, bl.a. av figurernas dräkt och kroppsform, av deras arkeologiska fyndkontexter och av relaterat material funnet utanför ön. Detta besläktade material visade sig vara mer eller mindre begränsat till den feniciska kusten, nuvarande Libanon och Syrien. Genom tillämpandet av samma typer av analysmetoder för det feniciska materialet kan det konstateras att materialet där till en del bestod av cypriska importer, till en annan av en inhemsk grupp av feniciska egyptiserande stenfigurer. Mot bakgrund av detta kan det skapas teorier om överföringen av denna statytyp och dess speciella ikonografi till Cypern. Genom en grundlig jämförande undersökning är det möjligt att konstatera att det inte var hantverkstraditionen bakom de feniciska stenfigurerna som givit impulserna, inte heller någon direkt kontakt med egyptisk skulpturtillverkning och föreställningsvärld. Istället kan det påvisas att storskaliga feniciska statyer av trä och elfenben tjänat som förebilder, ett material som i mångt och mycket inte finns representerat i det bevarade arkeologiska materialet. Därmed kan också en bättre förståelse skönjas angående de egyptiserande skulpturernas betydelse i den antika cypriska helgedomen: de bör inte ses mot en egyptisk religiös sfär utan snarare mot en kunglig fenicisk sfär där bjärt målad och mycket dekorativ skulptur i egyptisk dräkt tycks ha varit det som gudarna ansågs uppskatta. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/21289
- author
- Faegersten, Fanni
LU
- supervisor
-
- Eva Rystedt LU
- opponent
-
- Dr. Hermary, Antoine, University of Aix-en-Provence
- organization
- publishing date
- 2003
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- ivory, cultural contacts, Egypt, Phoenicia, archaeological contexts, votive gifts, sanctuaries, the Archaic period, transformations of Egyptian dress and jewelry, Egyptianizing iconography, limestone, Cyprus, Cypriote sculpture, wood, “color as pattern”, royal iconography, Ancient history, Antikens och forntidens historia, Archaeology, Arkeologi
- pages
- 398 pages
- defense location
- Carolinasalen, Kungshuset, Lundagård, Lund
- defense date
- 2003-06-07 10:15:00
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 59a06cd9-2207-4a26-bc07-b109c5c62c65 (old id 21289)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 13:19:17
- date last changed
- 2023-01-19 10:55:50
@phdthesis{59a06cd9-2207-4a26-bc07-b109c5c62c65,
abstract = {{This thesis is a study of a particular limestone votive statuary type which was dedicated in the sanctuaries on Cyprus during the entire 6th century B.C. Common to the group of figures is that they are wearing a Cypriote version of an Egyptian-type outfit, including characteristic Egyptian royal headgear and jewelry. In order to be able to answer questions on the origin of the Egyptianizing iconography encountered on the island, the reasons for the introduction of this particular votive statuary type in the Cypriote workshops, and the significance of the Egyptianizing figures within the sanctuaries of the island, a series of analyses are introduced. A typological analysis of the apparel of the figures is carried out, and the stylistic properties of the statuary are outlined. In addition, the archaeological contexts of the figures are investigated. The foreign iconography found in these Cypriote figures made it necessary to turn outside the island: the focus is placed on the only other find concentration of Egyptianizing statuary outside Cyprus, on the Phoenician coast. Through a similar series of analyses carried out on the Phoenician material, it can be stated that part of the statuary found there was Cypriote imports, while another part constituted indigenous, Phoenician Egyptianizing stone statuary. Against this background theories on the transmission of this particular iconography and votive figural type to Cyprus are presented. Through an analysis involving detailed comparisons with different categories of foreign material, it is suggested that the material and the craft tradition which lay behind the introduction of the Egyptianizing statuary on Cyprus were not the ones behind the Phoenician stone statues, nor was there any actual direct connection to contemporary Egyptian craftsmanship and technology or the Nilotic religious sphere. The analysis points rather towards a material category which for obvious reasons is only very sparsely preserved in the archaeological material record: Phoenician, large-scale ivory-on-wood statuary. Based on this suggestion, it is possible to better understand the significance of the Egyptianizing statuary on display in the ancient Cypriote sanctuaries: they are not to be viewed against an Egyptian religious background, but rather as an outcrop of a royal Phoenician iconography which found its way to the island, an iconography where a decorative and colorful statuary type clad in Egyptian-type dress was an acknowledged means to attract the attention of the divine powers.}},
author = {{Faegersten, Fanni}},
keywords = {{ivory; cultural contacts; Egypt; Phoenicia; archaeological contexts; votive gifts; sanctuaries; the Archaic period; transformations of Egyptian dress and jewelry; Egyptianizing iconography; limestone; Cyprus; Cypriote sculpture; wood; “color as pattern”; royal iconography; Ancient history; Antikens och forntidens historia; Archaeology; Arkeologi}},
language = {{eng}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{The Egyptianizing, male, limestone statuary from Cyprus - a study of a cross-cultural, Eastern Mediterranean votive type}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/6091590/5050835.pdf}},
year = {{2003}},
}