ITEM · Imitations and inTeractions in the Eastern Mediterranean: A Study of Bronze Age Cypriot Pottery
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-12-01 → 2022-11-30
- EU contribution
- €196,708
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Imitations and inTeractions in the Eastern Mediterranean: A Study of Bronze Age Cypriot Pottery
Through the case study of specific archaeological artefacts – ceramics made in Cyprus and their imitations during the Second Millennium BCE - ITEM (Imitations and inTeractions in the Eastern Mediterranean) aimed to investigate the mechanisms involved in the transition from trading connections to cultural exchanges. During the Middle and Late Bronze Ages (c. 1800-1200 BCE), the exponential development of bronze technology led to an intensive search for new copper sources. Therefore, the island of Cyprus, where copper ores were exploited, was progressively integrated within a broader Eastern Mediterranean exchange network. Cypriot goods, especially ceramics, were traded widely throughout the neighbouring regions, leading to the development of imitations as well as innovative productions inspired by their shapes and decorative motifs. Questioning the concept of imitation and its traditionally held theories, the goal of ITEM was to investigate where, when and why these imitations developed and how foreign techniques and decorative motifs were integrated into the local traditions of geographically diverse regions. Using imitations of Cypriot ceramics as a case study, ITEM ultimately aimed to investigate the complex mechanisms at work in the transition from trading connections to cultural exchanges. The main topics of ITEM – mobility, intercultural encounters, and transmission – are still highly relevant to our modern societies. Thus, the project ITEM was driven by five key research axes, each of them addressing specific objectives. The first objective (Axis 1) was to reassess the notions of imitation, inspiration and influence through the varied scopes of archaeological, anthropological and sociological theories. Another goal was to examine the evolution of trading connections between Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean (Axis 2) in order to assess how the development of imitations was linked to the evolution of trading patterns during the Second Millennium BCE. Building from the two previous research axes, the third objective was to scrutinise how Cypriot shapes, motifs and techniques were imitated, in order to find out which processes are at work in the transfer of know-how and how regional variations can be identified (Axis 3). Thanks to the reassessment of imitations’ discovery contexts, ITEM also aimed to clarify whether only elements of shapes and decorative motifs were adopted, or also the social functions and the meanings of the original artefacts (Axis 4). Eventually, the circulation of goods and technics cannot be separated from the circulation of people. To address this topic, the last research axis of the project (Axis 5) investigated the Cypriot presence outside Cyprus, in order to determine if Cypriot traders and craftsmen could have been integrated among the populations of certain coastal cities of the Eastern Mediterranean during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages (c. 1800-1200 BCE).
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
ITEM is a diachronic and multi-regional reassessment of mechanisms at work in the development of imitations and productions inspired by Cypriot pottery in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Second Millennium BC. The project questions when imitations developed, why they were elaborated, who made them, what their functions were and how foreign motifs and know-how were adopted in the local traditions of the studied areas. ITEM also evaluates how the imitation process is linked to the development of trading connections between Cyprus, the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt and assesses their progressive evolution into cultural exchanges during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. To bring new perspectives on these issues, the project breaks down disciplinary barriers and combines the application of anthropological and sociological theories with a technological study of the archaeological material by using analytical tools developed in Digital Humanities. The host institution, UPN – UMR ArScAn, will provide training in GIS mapping and RTI photography, which will offer new skills for the analysis of raw materials and relevant chaînes opératoires, and add concrete evidence to support ITEM’s conclusions. Research collaborations with top-rank scholars and international museum institutions will further expand my skillset, build my professional network and refine my ability to transmit results to a broad audience. ITEM explores the boundaries between exchanges of goods and ideas and the processes by which both aspects are interconnected. The limited dataset ensures the feasibility of the project, while the holistic approach makes its outcomes relevant to a wide academic community. The addressed questions and methodology can be utilised in other research fields, regions and periods. Ultimately, ITEM challenges how modern scholarship defines the concept of imitation and measures cultural interactions, a problematic which is relevant far beyond the scope of this project.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITE PARIS NANTERRE · Nanterre CedexCoordinatorFrance
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union