Environment in Miniature: Iconography of Setting in Late Bronze Age Aegean Engraved Seal Stones and Signet Rings

Abstract

This thesis examines 50 Aegean Bronze Age seal stones, sealings, and signet rings, that depict narrative scenes and are supported by specific settings. My selected corpus consists of three thematic groups: conflict scenes, cult scenes, and boat and town scenes. The seals and rings were chosen based on how well they fit these themes, whether they had at least three elements of environment, and my access to information on the artifacts. I conclude that Aegean artists observed their environments and how their environments were perceived in order to recreate them in meaningful narratives that were both functional and personal for their bearers. Scenes of conflict indicate an emphasis on action and employ specific techniques in perspective to depict setting. Scenes of cult rely heavily on the natural environment for settings, as well as on artistic depictions of floating objects to show supernatural activity. Non-epiphanic cult scenes also feature the natural environment, but also illustrate how adorants created environments of worship by incorporating certain ritual objects. Scenes of boats and towns show a mastery over the environment and the ways man-made constructions can function as spaces of cult. In all these depictions the miniaturization of setting is a way for the bearer, likely a member of the elite class, to project an image of control over his world.