Breaking Images: Damage and Mutilation of Ancient Figurines

“…Breaking Images (as engaging as some of the case studies and analyses are) demonstrates that new approaches to archaeological breakage beyond intentionality will be required to generate new insight.” — Journal of Anthropological Research

Archaeological remains are ‘fragmented by definition’: apart from exceptional cases, the study of the human past takes into account mainly traces, ruins, discards, and debris of past civilisations. It is rare that things have been preserved as they were or...