The new life of Greek images outside Greece

Abstract

The Iberian world received a large number of Greek images through the Attic ceramics that arrived in Iberia, especially between the late fifth and early fourth century BC. Both the vases and the images were not generally used for religious purposes in the Greek world, but were mainly used for profane activities such as banquets or personal care, although they were also sometimes used for religious or funerary purposes. In the Iberian world, on the other hand, although Greek vases also appear in habitats, they were mainly used in religious rituals, many of them linked to the funerary world. This chapter analyses, from a critical perspective, to what extent the Iberians interpreted these images iconotropically (which has been the traditional way of approaching the matter) or whether, on the contrary, what was really important to them was the Greek vase itself, regardless of whether it bore images or not.