Review

Reviewed Work(s): H ΟΚΤΌΣΧΗΜΗ ΑΣΠΊΔΑ ΣΤΟ ΑΙΓΑΊΟ ΤΗΣ Π X. ΧΙΛΙΕΤΊΑΣ by Despina

Danielidou
Review by: Christine Morris
Source: American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 104, No. 4 (Oct., 2000), pp. 799-800
Published by: Archaeological Institute of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/507164
Accessed: 02-10-2016 11:48 UTC

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2000] BOOK REVIEWS 799

from the Linear B tablets that document administrative parts:

parts: discussion
discussion and catalogue.
and catalogue.
The topicsThetreated
topics
in thet
bureaus concerned with the storage and distribution of
discussion
discussion are are
the development
the developmentand use ofand the use
shield;
ofits
t
goods active on the first floor of the CPS area. origins;
origins; construction;
construction; typologytypology
and chronology;
and chronol
and the
Third, Panagiotaki quite robustly demolishes the ritual Tri- dimension.
partite Shrine (235-8): it has been tottering for some The organizing principles of the catalogue and accom-
time. At least on the ground floor, Evans's reconstruction panying illustrations are material (seals, ceramic, ivory
must be discarded, although it is arguable (ifunprovable) stone, metal, fresco, glass paste, faience, amber) and prov-
that such a shrine, made of light materials, might have enance (in alphabetic order). Presentation of each cate-
existed up on the first floor. There is thus no evidence gory of material in chronological order would have mad
for cult on the ground floor of the CPS in this last phase any patterning or clustering in typological and icono-
(241). Only two bits of evidence might suggest cult activ- graphical features more obvious, although the chrono-
ities at that time on the first floor: (1) the Mistress of the logical range and the distribution of material
Mountains sealings that fell from above (240, 275)-but, geographically and by material is summarized in two use-
even if one accepts a connection between the imagery ful sets of tables. There are a generous number of illus-
on the original gold ring and the room where the seal- trations, mainly taken from other publications and
ings were impressed (as I myself have argued for the therefore of mixed quality.
dolphin gold ring used in the Queen's Megaron area), A clear chronological framework emerges with the
this need mean no more than a specialized bureaucrat earliest depictions of figure-of-eight shields found in
dealing in materials some of which are perhaps destined the prepalatial period in Crete in the glyptic medium.
for cult purposes; and (2) the vases which fell into the The origins of the shield are therefore considered (in
Stone Vase Room, of which nine of the 16 are rhyta agreement with other scholars) to be Minoan, although
(274). The rhyta, however, all seem to be of LM IA man- the absence of scenes of war in art on Crete means

ufacture (R. Koehl, pers. comm.), while the faience "tea-
pot" is contemporary in technique and style with the
faience of the TR (PM II 824). We must necessarily won-
der if these objects did not tumble down somewhat earli-
er, perhaps in mature LM IA, when localized damage may
well have been caused by fresh earth tremors.
There is a great deal of detail in this book, but all so
well organized and presented that, when I had finished,
I was longing to read more: what happens over the next
that its practical use as a defensive weapon remains
implicit. The earliest evidence for explicit martial us-
age comes from the Mycenae Shaft Graves, where the
shield's massive size and body protecting abilities are
made plain. The figure-of eight shield continues as a
symbolic/decorative motif throughout the Bronze Age,
but there is a lack of evidence for practical, martial use
after LHI-IIA, and the author discusses the likelihood
that such shields would have become obsolete with the

wall? I hope that Panagiotaki has the stamina to follow on introduction of bronze body armor. It is also worth n
with her research into adjacent areas of the Palace (as ing that the massive shield and heavy body armor wo
she herself proposes [6]), and with equally fruitful and have restricted mobility and that they are both suit
thoughtful results. to highly ritualized modes of combat. There is also a
detailed discussion of the vexed issue of the relation-
JUDITH WMEINGARTEN
ship between the figure-of-eight shield and the Geo
LAURIERGRACHT 82 metric Dipylon shield. Here some illustrations of the
1016 RM AMSTERDAM later material would have been useful.
THE NETHERLANDS
The chapter on construction from bovid hides and
JUDITH_WEINGARTEN@COMPUSERVE COM
method of use with the telamon strap is thorough
makes extensive use of the Homeric texts as well as the

actual Bronze Age material. The use of dappled animal

H OKTOEXHMH AHniAA TO AIrAi TH rn.X. XIAIETIAl,by
hides with a wooden framework in other high status con
Despina Danielidou. (Academy of Athens.
texts is wellResearch
noted with reference to the ikria of the

ships' 5).
Center for Antiquity, Monograph Series cabins
Pp.at278,
Akrotiri. The boxes of the Aegean d
chariot ISBN
pls. 43. Academy of Athens, Athens 1998. might 960-
be added to emphasize the same poin
Apropos of recent work on hoplite warfare, it would
7099-60-5 (paper).
interesting to have some sense of the actual weight an
No actual examples of the great body shields
balance of Aegean
of the the body shields, perhaps throu
Aegean Bronze Age survive, but they experimental
are well known,
work. The typological discussion is also co
both from Bronze Age art, such as the Mycenae
prehensive, Lion
discussing the symmetry/asymmetry a
Hunt dagger, and through the filter ofstructural
Homericrelationship
narra- (touching, not touching, inte
tive, from the great shield of Ajax to the less of
secting) dignified
the two lobes, the presence of the telamo
exit of Periphetes tripping over the rimand of
the his shield.
details of stitching. The morphological vari
This volume is the first full-length study
tion,of the Aegean
perhaps not surprisingly, seems to be related largel
figure-of-eight shield in the second millennium B.C.,
to the constraints and
of the different artistic media. The
its first immediate value lies in making chronological
the full range of establishes the diachronic rang
analysis
material (357 examples) readily availableand
forthestudy,
contextssince
in which the figure-of-eight shield moti
previous discussion has tended to revolve around
occurs a material.
within each small
number of particularly well-known examples. Therelating
Questions book is to the symbolic significance of the
well produced and organized, and falls into two distinct
figure-of-eight shield motif are raised in the final chap-

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800 BOOK REVIEWS [AJA 104

ter.
ter.The
Theviews
viewsof of
numerous
numerous
scholars
scholars
are presented
are presented
and
ANCIENT and
ANATOLIA: FIFTY YEARS' WORK BY THE
there
thereare are
useful
usefulideas
ideas
and and
insights.
insights.
For example,
For example,
the
BRITISH the
INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AT ANKARA,
discussion
discussion ofof
thethe
forms
forms
and contexts
and contexts
of pottery
of pottery
bearing bearing
the
the figure-of-eight
figure-of-eight shield
shield
motifmotif
convincing
convincing edited by Roger Matthews. Pp. xx + 378, figs. 148,
demonstrates
demonstrates
that
thatthethe
motif
motif
is not
is not
simply
simply
"decorative"
"decorative"
but has but hascolor
a contex- pls. 56. British Institute of Archaeology at
a contex-
tually
tuallymeaningful
meaningfulsymbolic
symbolic
dimension;
dimension;
similarly
similarly
the prob-Ankara,
the prob-London 1998. $54. ISBN 1-898249-11-3
able
ablerelationship
relationship between
between
bull games,
bull games,
sacrifice,
sacrifice,
and the and the
(cloth).
finished
finished shield
shieldis highlighted.
is highlighted.
As a whole,
As a whole,
however, however,
the the
discussion
discussion suffers
suffers
from from
the lack
the oflack
anyofconsistent
any consistent This is
frame- a wonderful book, rich with scientific informa-
frame-
work
workfor for "reading"
"reading"iconography.
iconography. tion as well as reminiscences about the aims and results

The
Thediscussion
discussion comprises
comprises
four four
categories:
categories:
palladia,palladia,
cult
achieved cult
by the British Institute of Archaeology at Ank
objects,
objects,shields
shieldsin processional
in processional
contexts,
contexts,
and symbolic
and symbolic
ra (BIAA) during its first 50 years. Inaugurated in 1948 i
use
use (in
(inassociation
association withwith
other
other
symbols).
symbols).
Given the Given
com- the com-
Ankara, the first of the foreign research institutes t
plexity
plexityofof Aegean
Aegeaniconography,
iconography,
it is not
it is
at all
not clear
at all
that
openclear that
in the capital of the Turkish Republic instead of i
such
suchcategories
categories areare
useful.
useful.
SomeSome
imagesimages
incorporate
incorporate
the
Istanbul, theBIAA has taken advantage of its centra
the
shield with the head, arms, and sometimes feet of an location and pursued projects in all corners of the coun
anthropomorphic form, in other words, the palladion. try. The contributors comprise a distinguished list of r
The interesting suggestion is made that short, horizon- searchers, including the editor, Roger Matthews, the
tal strokes either side of the shield's "waist" might be current Director of the BIAA. Much regretted, howeve
understood as arms and therefore belong with this group. is the self-imposed absence of David French, Directo
The loops and rosettes at the top of the shield are tak- from 1968 to 1993, whose great knowledge of the topo
en to be stylized heads, whereas other scholars see them raphy, archaeology, and history of Turkey has been fun
as a means of hanging the shield. The "palladion" imag- damental to the achievements of the BIAA. The list of
es are accepted as relating to a goddess of war, who is contributors reveals an additional absence: only one
also considered to have protective qualities and to be the 27 authors is a woman, an indication of how much
related to the domain of fertility and the regeneration the BIAA has been a masculine preserve. Turkish women
of nature. The wider symbolism of the shield is also archaeologists, in contrast, have been directing field
interpreted as referring to this goddess; for example, a projects for decades.
sacerdotal role in the service of a "goddess of war" is Research sponsored by the BIAA has taken on its own
attributed to the female burial with gold rings bearing distinctive character. Its most influential work has been
shields from Archanes. in the revealing of Neolithic settlements, in making clear
The larger problems of defining and thinking about the value of the surface survey and the multidisciplinary
female divinity in the Bronze Age are presumably approachcon- to archaeological field research, and in explor-
sidered beyond the scope of the study but should ing not Roman and Byzantine provincial art and archaeology
be ignored. The association of goddesses with the realm In contrast with other research institutions, both Turkish
of warfare in Mycenaean iconography, and especially and foreign, the BIAA never settled down for long-term
at Mycenae, seems largely unproblematic (see mostexcavations
re- at a large Bronze Age or Classical site. In-
cently P. Rehak, "The Mycenaean 'Warrior Goddess' stead, with the one exception of Gatal H6yuik, the BIAA
Revisited," in Polemos, edited by R. Laffineur, 227-37 has preferred short-term explorations at a variety of sites
[Liege 1999]). The same cannot easily be argued for and has long promoted the surface survey as a worthy
the much more ambiguous and complicated imagery scientific endeavor.

from Crete. The concentration of shield imagery at Catal Ho6yik has been the most spectacular site exca-
Knossos is also striking and needs to be considered in vated under the auspices of the BIAA. With Mellaart's
relation to the special Knossian use of bull imagery. excavations first at Hacilar, then at (atal H6yuk, the
Marinatos's analyses of sets of symbols (shield, bucra- Neolithic past of Turkey came dramatically to light. Mel-
nium, garment impaled triangle) as symbols for hunt- laart writes here about his pioneering work at these two
ing and sacrifice deserved fuller discussion, as does sites and at Beycesultan. I. Hodder and R. Matthews con-
consideration of the potential for images to be polyse- tinue the story from 1993, when excavations resumed
mic and metaphoric. after a hiatus of nearly 30 years. Other scholars have
This is a useful study of a distinctively Aegean artifact done research in the Palaeolithic and Neolithic: T. Wat-
type, although the full significance of the figure-of- kins's excavations at Pinarbasi in the Konya Plain hav
eight shield still remains in part enigmatic. The book documented a predecessor and neighbor of Catal H6yiuk
will be primarily of relevance to Aegean prehistorians, I. Todd's Central Anatolian Survey of 1964-1966 brough
and also of interest to Homerists and to specialists in Asikli H6yik to scholarly attention (under excavation
martial matters. since 1989 by Istanbul University's Ufuk Esin); and A
CHRISTINE MORRIS Garrard's 1995-1996 survey between Maras and Gaziante
has located many early prehistoric sites.
DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS
Although an aim of the BIAA's founder,John Garstang
TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
was to promote research on the Hittites, the best-known
DUBLIN 2
British contributions to Hittitology have come not i
IRELAND
archaeology but in philology and epigraphy, with the wor
CMORRIS@TCD.IE
of O. Gurney andJ. D. Hawkins. Yet archaeological re

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