Ancient Objects Research Articles

The “Invisible” Side of Yellow Coffins—The Set of the Chantress of Amun Tanethereret in the Musée du Louvre and Some Considerations on the Production of Yellow Coffins in the First Half of the 21st Dynasty

Through the coffin set of Tanethereret—dated to the first half of the 21st Dynasty—this article aims to underline the importance of analysing the masks and human features of ancient Egyptian yellow coffins and their value in disclosing new and important information about the Third Intermediate Period society. By moving between different visualisations, overlapping layers, measuring, and comparing, the sculpted human forms can be, for example, further indices of the quality of the production/”workshop”/artist and of the socio-economic power of the client. The possibility of making a three-piece set—coherent not only in decoration but also in form—suggests the existence of workshops capable of producing high-quality coffins and, consequently, that some people could still economically afford such coffin sets. Gaining access to such “workshops” and this type of production may indeed represent a further attempt to “manufacture social power” for the middle or high elites. Moreover, this specific case study also shows the dynamism of ancient Egyptian artistic production in a period of crisis, with artists able not only to re-adapt and re-commodify an ancient object but also to create possible new compositions with a balanced mix of styles between tradition and innovation. The study of this “invisible” part of the yellow coffins thus represents a new way of reconstructing the history of the people “hidden behind” the yellow coffins and the socio-economic sphere of ancient Egyptian society in the Third Intermediate Period, manifested through the resulting art and material culture.

Comparing Australian Message Sticks and Sequentially Marked Objects of the Upper Palaeolithic: Problems and Opportunities.

Engraved portable objects from Upper Palaeolithic and earlier sites are argued to be cognitive tools designed to store information for the purposes of calculation, record-keeping, or communication. This paper reviews the surprisingly long intellectual history of comparisons between these ancient objects and message sticks: marked graphic devices traditionally used for long-distance communication in Indigenous Australia. I argue that, while such comparisons have often been misguided, more cautious applications of ethnographic analogy may yield useful insights. A systematic analysis of historical observations together with more recent fieldwork, indicate that Australian message sticks are primarily tools of social cognition, as opposed to cognition tout court, and rely on orality and other context to become meaningful. Further, the practice of message stick communication may help clarify ongoing problems in the interpretation of Upper Palaeolithic objects including their possible role in aggregation activities, the distinction between decoration and notation, and the interplay between graphic sequences and speech.

May Morris, Egypt, and Coptic Textiles

Abstract In the late-nineteenth century, vast quantities of Coptic textiles were brought to light through archaeological activity in Egypt and distributed among international collections. Produced between the third and seventh centuries CE, these remarkably preserved ancient objects became prized by textile scholars, including the artist, writer and teacher of the Arts and Crafts Movement, May Morris (1862–1938). This essay discusses Morris’s visit to Egypt in 1896, and her study and collecting of Coptic textiles. It argues that, in her 1899 publication ‘Coptic Textiles’, Morris produced an original contribution to emerging scholarship on Coptic art by formulating an experimental intervention that drew upon her knowledge and expertise as a textile maker-historian, and espoused an orientalised aesthetic response to colour. Following this, it considers how her collecting of Coptic textiles and valuing of Coptic material heritage was imbricated within a complex and contradictory discourse on preservation propagated among Arts and Crafts networks.

Dialogues between Past and Present? Modern Art, Contemporary Art Practice, and Ancient Egypt in the Museum

Whenever twentieth-century modern art or new contemporary artworks are included amongst displays of ancient Egypt, press statements often assert that such juxtapositions are ‘surprising’, ‘innovative’, and ‘fresh’, celebrating the external perspective they bring to such collections. But contemporary art’s relationship with museums and other disciplines needs to be understood in a longer-term perspective. Pairings of twentieth- and twenty-first-century artistic works with objects of antiquity is an activity that has been undertaken for more than a century in what has been a relatively long period of mutually reinforcing influences between modern/contemporary art, museum display, the art market, and Egyptian heritage. Together, they have decontextualised ancient Egyptian culture and shaped the language and perspectives of scholars, curators, and artists. In this paper, rather than considering how artists have been inspired by ancient Egypt, I will give a few examples of how more recent art practices from the late nineteenth century onwards have impacted the language and discourse of Egyptology and its museum representation. Then, using more recent artist engagements with the British Museum, I argue for greater interdisciplinary dialogues between artists and Egyptologists, as both take more critical stances towards research that recontextualises the power and agency of collections, representation, and knowledge production.

The Effect of Shopping Orientation on Thrift Clothing Purchasing Decisions in Padang State University Student

Thrifts are used goods, both local and imported, that are in a condition suitable for use. Examples of thrift goods that are widely bought and sold are clothes, shoes, bags, electronics or other antique objects. Shopping orientation and purchasing decisions are two of the many factors in purchasing thrift goods. This research aims to see the influence of shopping orientation on the decision to purchase thrift clothing among Padang State University students. This research uses a correlational quantitative design. The sampling technique used was an accidental technique with a population of Padang State University students. The sample in this study amounted to 255 people. Data were analyzed using simple linear regression analysis. The research results show that there is an influence of shopping orientation on the decision to purchase thrift clothing among Padang State University students. It is known that the value of F = 5.956 with a significance level of 0.015 < 0.05. The correlation value (R) is 0.152 and the coefficient of determination (R Square) is 0.023, which means the influence of shopping orientation on purchasing decisions is 2.3%.

THE EFFECT OF SHOPPING ORIENTATION ON THRIFT CLOTHING PURCHASING DECISIONS IN PADANG STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT

Thrifts are used goods, both local and imported, that are in a condition suitable for use. Examples of thrift goods that are widely bought and sold are clothes, shoes, bags, electronics or other antique objects. Shopping orientation and purchasing decisions are two of the many factors in purchasing thrift goods. This research aims to see the influence of shopping orientation on the decision to purchase thrift clothing among Padang State University students. This research uses a correlational quantitative design. The sampling technique used was an accidental technique with a population of Padang State University students. The sample in this study amounted to 255 people. Data were analyzed using simple linear regression analysis. The research results show that there is an influence of shopping orientation on the decision to purchase thrift clothing among Padang State University students. It is known that the value of F = 5.956 with a significance level of 0.015 < 0.05. The correlation value (R) is 0.152 and the coefficient of determination (R Square) is 0.023, which means the influence of shopping orientation on purchasing decisions is 2.3%.

The Identity of Socio-Cultural Dynamics in Sangiran Batik

The purpose of this article is to examine one type of batik that developed around the Sangiran Museum Building, Sragen Region, Central Java Province. The method used is a field study method by means of observation, interviews, and document analysis. Sangiran has a museum that stores ancient objects from the past, including ancient human remains. Sangiran is often referred to as The Land of Java Man. This condition also affects the background of batik forms in Sangiran and its surroundings. The archaeological museum and ancient human remains have become a source of inspiration for the creation of batik. Batik in Sangiran is often referred to as Sukawati batik. Sukawati is the name of Sragen region before 18th century in the time of Pangeran Mangkubumi. The influence of ancient human remains and ancient objects appears in batik motifs such as batik motifs of human evolution, batik motifs of carved ivory because there are elephant tusks from ancient times were found in Sangiran. There are also batik motifs derived from the myths of the local community, namely the motif of Dewi Sri or the Goddess of fertility. Batik has become the hallmark of the Sragen region and gave rise to the dynamics of batik life such as batik creation competitions, batik uniforms, and so on.

The Myth of Family: Friendship and Sexual Impropriety in the Feminist Occult Grail Narratives of Mary Butts’s Armed with Madness (1928)

ABSTRACT This article argues that in Armed with Madness Mary Butts proposes new options for successful living in the disaffected interwar years of the twentieth century, by adopting a counterintuitive modernist position of looking back to ancient myth and spiritual magic practice in order to look forward. In doing so, she questions establishment notions of female agency, personal relationships, and the role and constitution of families through the lens of feminist occult modernism; each of these themes is underpinned by magic and the supernatural as an elemental power within women and the landscape. At the centre of the narrative is a rediscovered jade cup, a purported Holy Grail; in her use of a traditional Matter of Britain theme and an ancient object freighted with magical and mystical power, Butts’s occult modernist vision is characterised by a gesture towards transformation, resolution and acceptance of difference, through the influence of the Grail.

Between science and art

Abstract Professor Irene Manton (1904–1988) was in the vanguard of technical advances in botany through the use of electron microscopy. As well as new techniques and discoveries communicated through a considerable body of scientific publications, she left behind a collection of antiquities spanning a broad range of cultures and dates. Through these objects, Manton investigated intellectual problems in the history of science and communicated her findings with a highly original and idiosyncratic approach. At first sight a disparate group of unprovenanced antiquities, through the lens of Manton’s archives this collection can be understood as a rich repository of material evidence. This critical examination of Manton’s collecting practices and the uses she made of her ancient objects provides new evidence for the variety of approaches to collecting and interpreting antiquities, spanning disciplinary boundaries, over the course of the twentieth century.

Improved Utilization of Radiographs of Ancient Metal Objects under Heterogeneous Image Blurring

ABSTRACT Availability of pertinent and detailed information for damaged ancient objects is vital for successful restorative, damage limitation intervention processes in archeology. Visual inspection and radiography testing (RT) constitute widely used non-destructive methods for conservators of such objects. Unfortunately, the quality of RT images is susceptible to blurring caused by the superimposed scattered X-rays. In this study, the no-black-pixel constraint (NBPC) algorithm on its own as well as in the form of an algorithm with the planar-scene assumption (NBPC + PA) was applied to RT images with a view to suppressing image blurring and enhancement of imaging contrast. The results of this study have shown, both qualitatively and quantitatively that the NBPC + PA and NBPC algorithms provide higher imaging contrast for identification and evaluation of damage in corroded ancient metallic relics than using unprocessed RT images alone. Contrast enhancement of up to about 120% and 78% was achieved in comparison with the original image by applying the NBPC+PA and NBPC algorithms, respectively. Practical application and effectiveness of using the processed images were evaluated by expert operators in the area and it was found that using the reconstructed images scored higher (on average by 88%) than the original RT images (on average by 73%) with the NBPC+PA scoring higher (on average by 91%) than the NBPC algorithm (on average by 85%). The operators have found utilizing the processed images leads to better inspection and evaluation of the object enabling better targeted informed for restorative intervention, damage limitation, and maintenance of such objects.

On (Not) Reading Inscribed Objects in Latin Comedy

Abstract: This paper examines the performance dynamics of onstage texts in Plautus’ comedies and, in the process, argues that an audience-level viewpoint is essential to understanding Latin stage comedy. Examples of rare epigraphic texts are compared with the more common motif of in-play “perishable texts.” The perishable type were performed by actors as though verbatim and transmit novel information to the audience. In contrast, epigraphic texts are paraphrased and so require specific knowledge. Each kind of text thus does different dramatic work, and the difference originates in the different material “entanglements” of each medium in the lives of ancient Italians. As such, Plautus’ audiences understood comic theater through its extra-textual elements as much as through “the text” as we have it. To understand Roman comedy, scholars must also account for how ancient objects were entangled in Roman culture.

Minero‐chemical and provenance analysis of Achaemenian lapis lazuli cylinders from Persepolis

AbstractFive archaeological plain cylinders made of lapis lazuli found in excavations at the Persepolis World Heritage Site (c.550–330 BCE) were analysed using wavelength‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectroscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy techniques with the goal of characterizing the chemical–mineralogical composition and identifying the possible provenance of raw materials. Results show that these objects are made of identical resources or mines. A comparison with available data from archaeological sites and ancient quarry sites shows that these finds may have been produced from lapis lazuli from east of the Iranian Plateau (Badakhshan in Afghanistan), as they resemble several ancient objects of Iran. The results of this study suggest that Persian artists also used the ancient East‐to‐West trade route for supplying raw material to produce decorative objects made of lapis lazuli.

Artefact Profiling: Panomics Approaches for Understanding the Materiality of Written Artefacts.

This review explains the strategies behind genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, metallomics and isotopolomics approaches and their applicability to written artefacts. The respective sub-chapters give an insight into the analytical procedure and the conclusions drawn from such analyses. A distinction is made between information that can be obtained from the materials used in the respective manuscript and meta-information that cannot be obtained from the manuscript itself, but from residues of organisms such as bacteria or the authors and readers. In addition, various sampling techniques are discussed in particular, which pose a special challenge in manuscripts. The focus is on high-resolution, non-targeted strategies that can be used to extract the maximum amount of information about ancient objects. The combination of the various omics disciplines (panomics) especially offers potential added value in terms of the best possible interpretations of the data received. The information obtained can be used to understand the production of ancient artefacts, to gain impressions of former living conditions, to prove their authenticity, to assess whether there is a toxic hazard in handling the manuscripts, and to be able to determine appropriate measures for their conservation and restoration.

Establishment and development of diplomatic relations of the hetmanate of P. Scoropadsky with the Entant states

The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of the large-scale local history activities of the outstanding Ukrainian scientist V.B. Antonovych, which took place during the period of cultural and national revival, on the formation of his views on the state-building processes in Ukraine. The methodological basis of the article is a set of principles and methods of knowledge, the choice of which was determined by interdisciplinary approaches to the disclosure of the topic, the tasks set and the specificity of the sources. The principles of historicism and objectivity were used through the use of comparative-historical, analytical-synthetic, retrospective andhistorical-chronological research methods. Scientific novely. The article presents an analysis of the scientific and organizational activities of the prominent Ukrainian scientist and public figure V.B. Antonovych in the field of historical local history. The local history activity of the scientist in the field of Ukrainian science is highlighted, and it is shown that combining the work of a scientist with the collection of national antiquities, the protection, storage and study of monuments of Ukrainian culture, V.Antonovych passionately and consistently defended his life principles - the collection of ancient objects enriches Ukrainian science and history and directly affects the cultural and national revival of Ukrainian statehood. Conclusions. Based on the analysis of sources and domestic historiography, it has been proven that V.B. Antonovych, as a collector and collector of Ukrainian antiquities and historical monuments, was one of the first historians-local historians in Ukraine, an organizer of museum work, a museum theorist, ethnographer, and archaeologist. The works of V. B. Antonovych can be considered as comprehensive studies of a local history nature, since his field of vision included issues of historical and geographical local history, local genealogy, spragistics, heraldry, protection of historical and cultural monuments, and others. The scientist’s scientific interests in the field of local history went beyond regional studies, although the emphasis was on the study of Right Bank Ukraine, which ultimately influenced his statist views.

The influence of regional studies on V. B. Antonovych's views on statesmanship

The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of the large-scale local history activities of the outstanding Ukrainian scientist V.B. Antonovych, which took place during the period of cultural and national revival, on the formation of his views on the state-building processes in Ukraine. The methodological basis of the article is a set of principles and methods of knowledge, the choice of which was determined by interdisciplinary approaches to the disclosure of the topic, the tasks set and the specificity of the sources. The principles of historicism and objectivity were used through the use of comparative-historical, analytical-synthetic, retrospective andhistorical-chronological research methods. Scientific novely. The article presents an analysis of the scientific and organizational activities of the prominent Ukrainian scientist and public figure V.B. Antonovych in the field of historical local history. The local history activity of the scientist in the field of Ukrainian science is highlighted, and it is shown that combining the work of a scientist with the collection of national antiquities, the protection, storage and study of monuments of Ukrainian culture, V.Antonovych passionately and consistently defended his life principles - the collection of ancient objects enriches Ukrainian science and history and directly affects the cultural and national revival of Ukrainian statehood. Conclusions. Based on the analysis of sources and domestic historiography, it has been proven that V.B. Antonovych, as a collector and collector of Ukrainian antiquities and historical monuments, was one of the first historians-local historians in Ukraine, an organizer of museum work, a museum theorist, ethnographer, and archaeologist. The works of V. B. Antonovych can be considered as comprehensive studies of a local history nature, since his field of vision included issues of historical and geographical local history, local genealogy, spragistics, heraldry, protection of historical and cultural monuments, and others. The scientist’s scientific interests in the field of local history went beyond regional studies, although the emphasis was on the study of Right Bank Ukraine, which ultimately influenced his statist views.

Excavating the Missing Iron Age: Reinforcing Local Heritage & Identity in Sievi, Finland

In the small county in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland, on a forest island amid fields, a few metal objects were found by metal detectorists. The finds suggested Iron Age dates and generated great interest, for both local people and researchers. As a result, an examination of the find locations was conducted by archaeologists, which was followed by excavations at one of the sites. In this article, under scrutiny is the interest excavations formulate in local contexts and how people relate to archaeological sites of their neighborhood. In addition, the role of metal-detecting in archaeology is considered. Generally, people in Finland are interested in the past of their home region. What about if there are only imperceptible remains and minor finds like fragments of ancient objects or shards of burned bone? Is material heritage important in everyday settings, and are people attracted to it? Here the aim is to relate some answers to these questions obtained by observations and discussions with the local people during the field research process.

Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals for the 21st Century: The Reinstallation of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Collection of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art

Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals for the 21st Century: The Reinstallation of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Collection of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art

Imitations of ancient jade products of the Qing era (1636-1912) in the collections of Russian museums

Jade products that imitate ancient Chinese art samples are a special kind of objects that, in their form and decor, are close to or likened to more ancient works of arts and crafts. The article explores the artistic form and characteristic features of imitations of ancient jade products of the Qing era, presented in the collections of Russian museums and the Palace Museum of China. The object of the study are objects of Chinese art of jade carving, which are in the collection of the Palace Museum (Beijing), the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. Peter the Great (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg) and the State Museum of Oriental Art (Moscow), where the use of imitations of ancient objects was discovered. Artistic analysis of jade imitations allows us to conclude that the works of the Qing era were more complex and diverse in form, decor and carving techniques compared to Han products, while the craftsmen, although they managed to preserve the classical sophistication of objects, lost the severity and solemnity of Han jade. As well as the art history analysis of the works, one can see that the forms and decors of jade objects are the product of aesthetic consciousness. The novelty of this study lies in the fact that the varieties and features of imitations of ancient jade during the Qing Dynasty are summarized, and the huohuan technique in jade processing is confirmed. This may be of interest to researchers in related scientific fields.

РЕНТГЕНОФЛЮОРЕСЦЕНТНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ МЕТАЛЛИЧЕСКИХ ИЗДЕЛИЙ ДЛЯ КОНСКОГО СНАРЯЖЕНИЯ ИЗ ПАМЯТНИКОВ БИЙКЕНСКОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ (ФОНДЫ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОГО МУЗЕЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ АЛТАЙ ИМ. А.В. АНОХИНА)

The exposition of the A.V. Anokhin National Museum of the Altai Republic (Gorno-Altaisk, Russia) demonstrates elements of horse equipment from two archaeological complexes of the Altai, which belong to the Biyke culture of the Arzhan-Mayemir time. The first set comes from the burial mound No. 2 of the Boytygem-II site, and the second comes from the burial mound No. 1 of the Aira-Tash-1 necropolis. These ancient objects are important for the cultural and chronological identification of the studied objects, as well as for the study of the material culture of the early nomads of Inner Asia. A portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer was used to determine the chemical composition of the alloys of the metal objects. The article presents the results obtained, which reflect the general and special characteristics of the implemented technologies. These data complement the previously published information on the testing of similar parts ofhorse equipment from the sites of the Altai of the Early Scythian period.

Review: A Maya Universe in Stone, edited by Stephen Houston

Review: <i>A Maya Universe in Stone</i>, edited by Stephen Houston