Animal Iconography in the Archaeological Record

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Animals pervade our daily lives in the present, and have pervaded them in the past. From the smallest bugs through pets and agricultural animals to elephants and blue whales, animals, animal-derived products and representations of animals can be found everywhere. This book focuses on the representations of animals in the past: How were animals represented in iconography, and how did a craftsperson interpret animals within his or her own cultural context? What do the representations tell us about the role and function of animals, as well as of the representations themselves? This collection explores these questions through images of animals. Starting in the Neolithic and ending in the Medieval period, from Northern Europe and the Mediterranean through Siberia and the Baltic, we have the privilege of encountering lions, horses, dogs, monkeys, birds and octopuses, among many other wonderful creatures. The images of these animals are explored using technologies such as 3D modelling, emphasizing the dimensionality of objects, and through theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches that examine the intersection of the human and the animal, challenging the conception of animals purely as objects. The significance of animals in all aspects of our lives makes the study of human-animal relations and interactions an extremely relevant one, both to the present and to our understanding of the past. The essays collected here demonstrate that relevance in clear and engaging ways. This book is an important and exciting contribution to the study of human-animal relations. It should be of interest to anyone working on this topic and on the interpretation of images - both modern and ancient.