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Master's Theses by Philipp Frei

The Art of situlae in the Ancient Near East. Materiality and Immateriality of a Special Group of ... more The Art of situlae in the Ancient Near East. Materiality and Immateriality of a Special Group of Metal Vessels. MA-Thesis, Near Eastern Archaeology, Bern University (Switzerland).
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mirko Novák.
Status: Will be Published in the "Abhandlungen des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins" (ADPV).

Divine Punishments in the Imagery of the Archaic and Classical Greece. A Discourse Analytical Stu... more Divine Punishments in the Imagery of the Archaic and Classical Greece. A Discourse Analytical Study of the Attic and Apulian Vase-Painting. MA-Thesis, Classical Archaeology, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg i. Br. (Germany).
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Ralf von den Hoff; Dr. Alexander Heinemann.
Status: Unpublished.

Talks by Philipp Frei

Das Bild als eines der ältesten Kommunikationsmittel der Menschheit bot seit jeher die Möglichkei... more Das Bild als eines der ältesten Kommunikationsmittel der Menschheit bot seit jeher die Möglichkeit, Traditionen sowohl für die jeweilige Gegenwart wie auch für die Nachwelt festzuhalten, um eine gemeinsame Identität innerhalb einer bestimmten Gruppe zu schaffen. Der Alte Orient, Heimat vieler der ältesten Kulturen der Welt, bildet dabei freilich keine Ausnahme. Mit der Zeit wurden die bildlichen Darstellungen zunehmend elaborierter: So finden sich in der Bildwelt des Alten Orients durchaus auch bildliche Rückbezüge zu vergangenen Zeiten, konstruierte Traditionen und auch Archaismen. Die bildwissenschaftliche und objektbasierte Studie widmet sich hierbei drei konkreten Beispielen aus unterschiedlichen altorientalischen Zeiten: dem Bildmotiv des doppelköpfigen Adlers im hethitischen Anatolien, der neubabylonischen Sonnentafel von Sippar sowie den frühdynastischen bzw. neuassyrischen Darstellungen des Herrschers als Bauherr. Dabei sollen Sinn und Funktion dieser bildlichen Mittel im Detail erschlossen und im übergeordneten Kontext situiert werden.

With the conquest of the Achaemenid Empire by Alexander the Great, a process of Hellenization in ... more With the conquest of the Achaemenid Empire by Alexander the Great, a process of Hellenization in the ancient Near East began. As a result, Greek deities and the values represented by them gained in importance and connected with the traditions of the ancient Near East. The result is, among other things, an imagery that, while reminiscent of what is given from the motherland of the Greeks, still incorporates in some aspects the pictorial traditions of the ancient Near East. The small study therefore reflects on the images of the Greek gods: Which deities were even depicted? What do they stand for? Do motif and/or statement correspond to the traditions of Greece or the ancient Near East? Are there any new creations? These and further questions shall be clarified by way of example.

During the first millennium B.C. Urartu has been the great counterpart of the powerful Neo-Assyri... more During the first millennium B.C. Urartu has been the great counterpart of the powerful Neo-Assyrian Empire. Situated on the shores of lake Van the nucleus was protected by the mountains and volcanos of the armenian highlands. Though the Urartian Empire has been significantly involved in the political events in Mesopotamia and the Northern Levant for several hundred years, it fell prey to decline after a disaster unknown so far. The process of oblivion took its course and from the former greatness and power of the Urartian Empire little has been preserved. However, Urartu as a site of memory left its mark in the cultural commemoration of the local people. Yet it took course in a different way than in other sites of memory. The study tracks the development from the zenith of the Urartian Empire to the memory in the written culture of the Ancient Near East to the history of our modern world and exemplarily shows the distinctions to the development of other sites of memory.

Lediglich sehr wenige Exemplare einer Gruppe von Gefäßen, welche der Gattung des Bucchero zuzuord... more Lediglich sehr wenige Exemplare einer Gruppe von Gefäßen, welche der Gattung des Bucchero zuzuordnen sind, finden sich in den Ausstellungskatalogen regionaler und internationaler Museen sowie in einigen Grabungsberichten des beginnenden 20. Jahrhunderts. Der repetitive Aufbau dieser Gefäße lässt keinen Zweifel offen, dass es sich um einen eigenständigen Formtypus innerhalb des Korpus des bucchero etrusco handeln muss. Aufgrund der Fundkontexte jener Stücke, welche nicht aus dem Kunsthandel stammen, lässt sich zudem die ausschließlich funeräre Funktion der Gruppe ermitteln. Ferner konzentrieren sich die genuin archäologisch gesicherten Kontexte auf das Umland der etruskischen Stadt Veii. Doch weist die zugrundeliegende Form auf Vorgänger in der geometrischen Keramik zurück, während ein kleiner Teil der Gefäße mit ihrem sehr schlichten Dekor zeitgleiche Elemente der (proto-)korinthischen Keramik aufzugreifen scheint. Die Studie versucht daher die formtypologischen, funktionalen und chronologische Gesichtspunkte der Gruppe zu klären sowie ihrem allmählichen Verschwinden im Laufe des 5. Jh. v. Chr. nachzugehen.

Lehreinheit für das Blockseminar "Text- und Bildwelten erschliessen (Schwerpunkt Ikonographie)" f... more Lehreinheit für das Blockseminar "Text- und Bildwelten erschliessen (Schwerpunkt Ikonographie)" für das strukturierte Doktoratsprogramm der Universitäten Basel, Bern, Fribourg und Zürich in Zusammenarbeit mit dem BIBEL+Orient Museum Fribourg.

The metal situlae (in Akkadian: banduddû) whose distribution correspond to the area of influence ... more The metal situlae (in Akkadian: banduddû) whose distribution correspond to the area of influence of the Neo-Assyrian Empire are conserved only in small quantity. In most cases made of bronze, rarely in silver, only a few of the situlae show inscriptions in akkadian cuneiform or figural decorations. The few secured archaeological contexts, most on the former Urartian territory, makes their research diffcult. Solely the textual sources and the representation of the situlae on smaller or larger media of ancient art - for example the Neo-Assyrian reliefs - give information about their usage and function. On the basis of a so far neglected situla in Freiburg (Switzerland) the typology of Rivka Merhav, which she has developed in the seventies of the 20th century, shall be reviewed. Further the actual archaeological record shall be reproved: Are there new findings and how do they change our understanding of the situlae in question of origin, technique and function? Beside the situlae themselves the basis of this study will be the textual sources, the representations in art and comparable objects made of metal like Urartian belts or Phoenician bowls.

There’s hardly a nation in the Antiquity as popular for its trading ability and artifice as the P... more There’s hardly a nation in the Antiquity as popular for its trading ability and artifice as the Phoenicians. The Old Testament as well as the Greek poet Homer prove the fame of the Phoenicians as skilled craftsmen. Especially the metal platters are outstanding. From the 9th to 6th century B.C. they’re widely spread in the whole Aegean Sea and the Near East, from Italy to Mesopotamia. Besides the large amount of ivories these metal bowls form the most important corpus of Phoenician Iconography in the Early Iron Age. Furthermore, because of the far-reaching trade network of the Phoenician merchants they end up in the Mediterranean West, where they had influence on the pictorial art of other cultures, such as the Early Greece or Etruria. For all the diversity of the motifs it only exist a few studies about the Phoenician metal bowls: Apart from some short and old articles there’s just the book of Glenn Markoe from the year of 1985, which is rather a catalogue than an iconographic analysis. A characterization of the Phoenician art proves to be difficult, because it was influenced by the dominating powers of the Near East and Ancient Egypt, so that antithetic motifs and styles were combined to a whole. This study tries to give a first little input for the further research of the complex iconography of the Phoenician metal bowls by analysing the compositions of the bowls: Do any kind of composition schemata exist? Can groups or types be formed? Can be determined by the schemata new dating approaches? These and other question will be pursued.

Papers by Philipp Frei

The Art of situlae in the Ancient Near East. Materiality and Immateriality of a Special Group of ... more The Art of situlae in the Ancient Near East. Materiality and Immateriality of a Special Group of Metal Vessels. MA-Thesis, Near Eastern Archaeology, Bern University (Switzerland).
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mirko Novák.
Status: Will be Published in the "Abhandlungen des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins" (ADPV).

Divine Punishments in the Imagery of the Archaic and Classical Greece. A Discourse Analytical Stu... more Divine Punishments in the Imagery of the Archaic and Classical Greece. A Discourse Analytical Study of the Attic and Apulian Vase-Painting. MA-Thesis, Classical Archaeology, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg i. Br. (Germany).
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Ralf von den Hoff; Dr. Alexander Heinemann.
Status: Unpublished.

Das Bild als eines der ältesten Kommunikationsmittel der Menschheit bot seit jeher die Möglichkei... more Das Bild als eines der ältesten Kommunikationsmittel der Menschheit bot seit jeher die Möglichkeit, Traditionen sowohl für die jeweilige Gegenwart wie auch für die Nachwelt festzuhalten, um eine gemeinsame Identität innerhalb einer bestimmten Gruppe zu schaffen. Der Alte Orient, Heimat vieler der ältesten Kulturen der Welt, bildet dabei freilich keine Ausnahme. Mit der Zeit wurden die bildlichen Darstellungen zunehmend elaborierter: So finden sich in der Bildwelt des Alten Orients durchaus auch bildliche Rückbezüge zu vergangenen Zeiten, konstruierte Traditionen und auch Archaismen. Die bildwissenschaftliche und objektbasierte Studie widmet sich hierbei drei konkreten Beispielen aus unterschiedlichen altorientalischen Zeiten: dem Bildmotiv des doppelköpfigen Adlers im hethitischen Anatolien, der neubabylonischen Sonnentafel von Sippar sowie den frühdynastischen bzw. neuassyrischen Darstellungen des Herrschers als Bauherr. Dabei sollen Sinn und Funktion dieser bildlichen Mittel im Detail erschlossen und im übergeordneten Kontext situiert werden.

With the conquest of the Achaemenid Empire by Alexander the Great, a process of Hellenization in ... more With the conquest of the Achaemenid Empire by Alexander the Great, a process of Hellenization in the ancient Near East began. As a result, Greek deities and the values represented by them gained in importance and connected with the traditions of the ancient Near East. The result is, among other things, an imagery that, while reminiscent of what is given from the motherland of the Greeks, still incorporates in some aspects the pictorial traditions of the ancient Near East. The small study therefore reflects on the images of the Greek gods: Which deities were even depicted? What do they stand for? Do motif and/or statement correspond to the traditions of Greece or the ancient Near East? Are there any new creations? These and further questions shall be clarified by way of example.

During the first millennium B.C. Urartu has been the great counterpart of the powerful Neo-Assyri... more During the first millennium B.C. Urartu has been the great counterpart of the powerful Neo-Assyrian Empire. Situated on the shores of lake Van the nucleus was protected by the mountains and volcanos of the armenian highlands. Though the Urartian Empire has been significantly involved in the political events in Mesopotamia and the Northern Levant for several hundred years, it fell prey to decline after a disaster unknown so far. The process of oblivion took its course and from the former greatness and power of the Urartian Empire little has been preserved. However, Urartu as a site of memory left its mark in the cultural commemoration of the local people. Yet it took course in a different way than in other sites of memory. The study tracks the development from the zenith of the Urartian Empire to the memory in the written culture of the Ancient Near East to the history of our modern world and exemplarily shows the distinctions to the development of other sites of memory.

Lediglich sehr wenige Exemplare einer Gruppe von Gefäßen, welche der Gattung des Bucchero zuzuord... more Lediglich sehr wenige Exemplare einer Gruppe von Gefäßen, welche der Gattung des Bucchero zuzuordnen sind, finden sich in den Ausstellungskatalogen regionaler und internationaler Museen sowie in einigen Grabungsberichten des beginnenden 20. Jahrhunderts. Der repetitive Aufbau dieser Gefäße lässt keinen Zweifel offen, dass es sich um einen eigenständigen Formtypus innerhalb des Korpus des bucchero etrusco handeln muss. Aufgrund der Fundkontexte jener Stücke, welche nicht aus dem Kunsthandel stammen, lässt sich zudem die ausschließlich funeräre Funktion der Gruppe ermitteln. Ferner konzentrieren sich die genuin archäologisch gesicherten Kontexte auf das Umland der etruskischen Stadt Veii. Doch weist die zugrundeliegende Form auf Vorgänger in der geometrischen Keramik zurück, während ein kleiner Teil der Gefäße mit ihrem sehr schlichten Dekor zeitgleiche Elemente der (proto-)korinthischen Keramik aufzugreifen scheint. Die Studie versucht daher die formtypologischen, funktionalen und chronologische Gesichtspunkte der Gruppe zu klären sowie ihrem allmählichen Verschwinden im Laufe des 5. Jh. v. Chr. nachzugehen.

Lehreinheit für das Blockseminar "Text- und Bildwelten erschliessen (Schwerpunkt Ikonographie)" f... more Lehreinheit für das Blockseminar "Text- und Bildwelten erschliessen (Schwerpunkt Ikonographie)" für das strukturierte Doktoratsprogramm der Universitäten Basel, Bern, Fribourg und Zürich in Zusammenarbeit mit dem BIBEL+Orient Museum Fribourg.

The metal situlae (in Akkadian: banduddû) whose distribution correspond to the area of influence ... more The metal situlae (in Akkadian: banduddû) whose distribution correspond to the area of influence of the Neo-Assyrian Empire are conserved only in small quantity. In most cases made of bronze, rarely in silver, only a few of the situlae show inscriptions in akkadian cuneiform or figural decorations. The few secured archaeological contexts, most on the former Urartian territory, makes their research diffcult. Solely the textual sources and the representation of the situlae on smaller or larger media of ancient art - for example the Neo-Assyrian reliefs - give information about their usage and function. On the basis of a so far neglected situla in Freiburg (Switzerland) the typology of Rivka Merhav, which she has developed in the seventies of the 20th century, shall be reviewed. Further the actual archaeological record shall be reproved: Are there new findings and how do they change our understanding of the situlae in question of origin, technique and function? Beside the situlae themselves the basis of this study will be the textual sources, the representations in art and comparable objects made of metal like Urartian belts or Phoenician bowls.

There’s hardly a nation in the Antiquity as popular for its trading ability and artifice as the P... more There’s hardly a nation in the Antiquity as popular for its trading ability and artifice as the Phoenicians. The Old Testament as well as the Greek poet Homer prove the fame of the Phoenicians as skilled craftsmen. Especially the metal platters are outstanding. From the 9th to 6th century B.C. they’re widely spread in the whole Aegean Sea and the Near East, from Italy to Mesopotamia. Besides the large amount of ivories these metal bowls form the most important corpus of Phoenician Iconography in the Early Iron Age. Furthermore, because of the far-reaching trade network of the Phoenician merchants they end up in the Mediterranean West, where they had influence on the pictorial art of other cultures, such as the Early Greece or Etruria. For all the diversity of the motifs it only exist a few studies about the Phoenician metal bowls: Apart from some short and old articles there’s just the book of Glenn Markoe from the year of 1985, which is rather a catalogue than an iconographic analysis. A characterization of the Phoenician art proves to be difficult, because it was influenced by the dominating powers of the Near East and Ancient Egypt, so that antithetic motifs and styles were combined to a whole. This study tries to give a first little input for the further research of the complex iconography of the Phoenician metal bowls by analysing the compositions of the bowls: Do any kind of composition schemata exist? Can groups or types be formed? Can be determined by the schemata new dating approaches? These and other question will be pursued.