Image and Audience: Rethinking Prehistoric Art

by Richard Bradley

Overview

There have been many accounts of prehistoric 'art', but nearly all of them begin by assuming that the concept is a useful one. In this extensively illustrated study, Richard Bradley asks why ancient objects were created and when and how they were used. He considers how the first definitions of prehistoric artworks were made, and the ways in which they might be related to practices in the visual arts today Extended case studies of two immensely popular and much-visited sites illustrate his argument: one considers the megalithic tombs of Western Europe, whilst the other investigates the decorated metalwork and rock carvings of Bronze Age Scandinavia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199533855
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/03/2009
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Richard Bradley is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading.

Table of Contents

I. The Problem with Prehistoric Art1. The division of the spoils2. Pattern and purposeII. Image and Audience in Megalithic Art3. Notes from underground4. The lives of statues5. In open countryIII. Image and Audience in Bronze Age Scandinavia6. Ships on bronzes, ships on stones7. Crossing the water8. The origin of fireIV. Prehistoric Art and Archaeology9. Losses in translation