From Story to Memory: Some Combat Images from the early Late Bronze Age Greek Mainland (original) (raw)

The narrative potential of Bronze Age art typically rests on associations with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Aegean archaeologists ask who or what these scenes could represent, attempting to identify specific characters or events. This paper aims to shift the focus of analysis, treating images as communication systems in their own right, designed to provoke the recollection of oral performances. What kinds of scenes and stories have people chosen to represent? How and why are these stories materialised? This paper will look at repeated fighting and hunting scenes from the early Late Bronze Age Greek mainland, arguing that they gain power and meaning from their narrative associations. It will then explore the social implications of these images, thinking about prehistoric modes of understanding and engaging with art objects.