http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
Greco-Scythian art and the birth of Eurasia
from classical antiquity to Russian modernity
1 online resource (xxix, 431 pages) : illustrations (black and white), maps (black and white)
Since their discovery in nineteenth-century Russia, Greco-Scythian artefacts have been interpreted as masterpieces by Greek craftsmen working according to the tastes of the Scythian nomads and creating realistic depictions of their barbarian patrons. Drawing on a broad array of evidence from archaeology, art history and epigraphy to contextualize Greco-Scythian metalwork in ancient society, this volume confronts the deep confusion between ancient representation and historical reality in contemporary engagements with classical culture. It argues that the strikingly life-like figure scenes of Greco-Scythian art were integral to the strategies of a cosmopolitan elite who legitimated its economic dominance by asserting an intermediary cultural position between the steppe inland and the urban centres on the shores of the Black Sea.
Introduction : Discovering Greco-Scythian art -- Classical art and Russian identity -- Defining the corpus : Chronology, technique, distribution -- Political monuments of the early Spartocid State -- Looking at Greco-Scythian art -- Greco-Scythian art in practice -- Conclusion.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Oxford studies in ancient culture and representation