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Racial Discourses in Aegean Prehistory c. 1900: The Case of the Cupbearer Fresco at Knossos
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 March 2024
Abstract
This article traces characterizations of the Cupbearer fresco, named after the large vessel the figure holds and uncovered at the site of Knossos in 1900, in light of the research agendas about the ‘races’ of the prehistoric Aegean and traditions of racial science current in late Victorian Britain. The head of the Cupbearer was compared to Classical Greek art, modern Cretan populations, and cranial remains from prehistoric contexts. Drawing from academic publications, articles in the press, and reports of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the author situates the discourse surrounding the Cupbearer in the context of scholars seeking the origins of ‘European’ civilization in prehistory, and the creation of racial typologies, especially using cranial measurements and photography. The Cupbearer gained a dual status as a racial portrait comparable to past and present human populations, but also as a work of art that prefigured the later achievements of Classical Greece.
Cet article traite de la caractérisation de la fresque dite du « porteur de rhyton » (représentant un personnage portant un grand vase) découverte sur le site de Knossos en 1900 dans le cadre d'une thématique de recherche sur les « races » occupant le milieu égéen préhistorique et les traditions de la science raciale en Grande-Bretagne à la fin du XIXe siècle. On compara la tête du porteur de rhyton à celles qui figurent dans les œuvres d'art de l'Antiquité grecque classique, aux populations crétoises moderne et aux crânes découverts dans des gisements préhistoriques. Sur la base de publications scientifiques, articles de presse et rapports de l'Association britannique pour l'Avancement des Sciences, l'auteur situe le discours concernant le porteur de rhyton dans un contexte qui cherchait à établir l'origine des civilisations ‘européennes’ préhistoriques et à élaborer une typologie des races, principalement au moyen de clichés photographiques et de méthodes craniométriques. Le porteur de rhyton jouait un double rôle, comme portrait d'un type racial comparable aux populations crétoises anciennes et modernes mais aussi comme œuvre d'art préfigurant les réalisations de l'Antiquité grecque classique. Translation by Madeleine Hummler
In diesem Artikel wird die Charakterisierung der im Jahre 1900 entdeckte „Rhytonträger-Freske“ (welche eine Figur mit einem großen Trinkgefäß darstellt) angesichts der Forschungsthematik über „Rassen“ in der ägäischen Urgeschichte und der Traditionen der Rassenkunde des späten 19. Jahrhunderts in Großbritannien untersucht. Der Kopf des Rhytonträgers wurde mit Kunstwerken der griechischen Antike verglichen, aber auch mit der modernen kretischen Bevölkerung und urgeschichtlichen Funden von Schädeln. Auf der Basis von wissenschaftlichen Veröffentlichungen, Zeitungsartikeln und Berichten der britischen Vereinigung für die Förderung der Wissenschaften diskutiert die Verfasserin, wie die Rhytonträger-Freske im Rahmen eines wissenschaftlichen Milieus – in welchem man versuchte, den Ursprung der urgeschichtlichen‚ europäischen. Zivilisationen zu bestimmen und eine Rassentypologie besonders durch Kraniometrie und fotografischen Aufnahmen aufzustellen – angesehen wurde. Der Rhytonträger spielte eine doppelte Rolle, als Bildnis einer mit kretischen Bevölkerungen in der Vergangenheit und Gegenwart vergleichbaren Rasse, aber auch als Kunstwerk, das die späteren Leistungen der Antike angekündigte. Translation by Madeleine Hummler
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