Interpreting Ancient Figurines (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780521197458)

This book examines ancient figurines from several world areas to address recurring challenges in the interpretation of prehistoric art. Sometimes figurines from one context are perceived to resemble those from another. Richard G. Lesure asks whether such resemblances play a role in our interpretations. Early interpreters seized on the idea that figurines were recurringly female and constructed the fanciful myth of a primordial Neolithic Goddess. Contemporary practice instead rejects interpretive leaps across contexts. Dr. Lesure offers a middle path: a new framework for assessing the relevance of particular comparisons. He develops the argument in case studies that consider figurines from Paleolithic Europe, the Neolithic Near East, and Formative Mesoamerica.

Author: Richard G. Lesure
ISBN-10: 0521197457
ISBN-13: 9780521197458
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 02/21/2011
Pages: 260
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.67lbs
Size: 10.10h x 7.10w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2011