Two Youths from Boiotia

Journal of African Archaeology, 2014

This book is the English language version of a catalogue published by Africa Magna Verlag in 2013 under the title Nok: Ein Ursprung afrikanischer Skulptur. That publication was designed to accompany an exhibition of the same name on show in Frankfurt from 30 October 2013 to 23 February 2014. As stated on the title page, the exhibition highlighted the results achieved so far in a joint research programme conducted by the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM). The programme, which started in 2005, is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. There are 25 chapters in the English language edition, with contributions by 20 different authors, so obviously this is a team work, edited by Peter Breunig, who is the overall director of the project. The chapters in this edition are identical to those which appeared previously, apart from two in a closing new section called "Beyond Nok". As stated by Peter Breunig in his Preface, the intention of this volume is to present a preliminary summary of past and current research into the Nok Culture, but naturally the main emphasis is placed on the work of the team since 2005.

Rhebok are most commonly painted in naturalistic attitudes. Rhebok are indistinguishable from reedbuck and other small antelope'. Beyond such hackneyed associations that seem always to crop up when grey rhebok (Pelea capreolus) are mentioned, they are seldom tackled in the literature of southern African rock art. At first, it may perhaps be a surprise that this antelope, given so little attention, is the second most frequently painted in the southeastern mountains -the Malotis and Drakensberg -which is the most densely painted region of southern Africa. On closer examination, however, it may be clearer as to why the rhebok has been given a wide berth: because there is insufficient ethnography to get to grips with it. This paper attempts to show that there are several handles by which one can grasp how and why the rhebok was as important to the artists of the southeastern mountains as the numerical emphasis they gave it suggests. FIG. 4. Vinnicombe's copy of the Melikane therianthropes, the horns had faded since the Orpen's 1873 expedition; in January 2005, this panel was very difficult to see.

This paper investigates two types of terracotta figurine, both from East African cultures, which are unusual in their resemblance to ceramic statuettes from pre-Indo-European south-eastern Europe (Old Europe) and the Ancient Near East (6th-1st millennium BCE). The first type consists of a “phallic female” style of fertility doll from the Samburu or Turkana peoples of northern Kenya, in which an obviously phallic body-shape is given unmistakably female attributes such as breasts (“Gudza doll;” Section 1). The result resembles the well-known Amlash idols from Iran of the early 1st millennium BCE. The second type consists of figurines that look like Neolithic to Iron Age fertility statuettes of Eurasian provenance and includes an Astarte-like bird-headed goddess nursing an infant (Section 2). These were made by Beta Israel (Falasha) women from the Gondar region of Ethiopia. In recent years, most of this Jewish community has relocated to Israel. Many surprises are encountered in unravelling the origins, creation, use and appreciation of these two groups of curious and challenging artifacts. Ranging from Australopithecus to Zimbabwe, from Baba Yaga to Beta Israel and from Yemen to semen, the over-arching narrative could equally well have been titled "The Sex-Lives of Statuettes."

all scans by the authors ince the rg8os art historians and archaeologists have been aware of the terracotta figurines from Koma Land in northern Ghana (Kroger rgBB; Anquandah rg8Z, rggS). The pioneering excavation and publications by ]ames Anquandah (Anquandah and van Ham 1985; Anquandah ry87, t998) established their provenance, and unprovenanced figurines from illegal excavations have subsequently increased known numbers. The dominant focus in publication of the Koma Land corpus has been upon what the figurines depict externally (e.g., Anquandah 1987 1998; Kankpeyeng and Nkumbaan zoo8, zoog Insoll and Kankpeyeng zor4; Insoll in press a). Following the successful trial use of lower resolution Computed Tomography black scanning which produced black-and-white images of five figurines in May zoro (Insoll, Kankpeyeng, and Nkumbaat 2ot2i3r-32), a further sample of eight terracotta figurines was CT scanned and color images produced in zor3. These are the focus here. All the figurines were from archaeological excavations at Yikpabongo in

Texier P-J., Porraz G., Parkington J., Rigaud J.-Ph., Poggenpoel C., Tribolo C., 2013

Broken ostrich eggshells are commonly found in Middle Stone Age sites of southern Africa, presumably collected for food consumption, and later used as artefacts. At Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Middle Stone Age inhabitants used ostrich eggshells as a medium to convey abstract depictions. Since 1998, excavations at Diepkloof have recovered 408 engraved pieces of ostrich eggshells. The study of these shows that Diepkloof inhabitants applied a restricted set of geometric engraving patterns, with the dominance of 2 main motifs, one using a hatched band and the other sub-parallel to converging lines. These motifs coexisted, but shifted in frequency toward the latter through time. Together with evidence that ostrich eggshells were used as containers, these patterns support the hypothesis that engravings were made with respect to clear but flexible social conventions and were part of a complex system of visual and symbolic communication. Since our last report (Texier et al., 2010), a few engraved pieces have been found in lower stratigraphic units, expanding substantially the time-range of the engraving practice on ostrich eggshells at Diepkloof. The earliest engravings appear at the end of the Early Howiesons Poort phase, but become numerous only during the Intermediate and Late phases of the Howiesons Poort. The collection from Diepkloof is presently unique and likely underlines the existence of regional traditions within the Howiesons Poort. Interestingly, and significantly in our view, the engraving disappears at the same time as the Howiesons Poort technology. We argue that this disappearance may reflect a modification in the way late Middle Stone Age inhabitants interacted with one another.

South African Archaeological Bulletin, 2022

Vryheid (MNR04) is a small, isolated Late Iron Age homestead dated between the 18th and 19th centuries, located in northern South Africa. During excavations in 2014, a carved ivory artefact was exposed on the floor of a burnt-down hut. Because the item was extremely fragmented and fragile, but also a rare local example of carved ivory, directed conservation steps were implemented to reconstruct and conserve it. Microscopy, microtomography and X-ray diffraction analyses were conducted to determine the species of ivory. The results show that it was likely made from the lower incisor of a hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). Comparisons with ethnographic objects from the region suggest that the artefact could have been a pommel or decorative knob on the sheath of a ceremonial knife. The fire that consumed the hut seems to have been a sudden event since several valuable objects-in addition to more mundane ones-were still inside the hut when it burned down. This allows us to interpret the ivory object in relation to its multiple contexts. By adopting a 'relational biography' approach (Joy 2009), this article draws together evidence from diverse sources to bring 'drama' to our understanding of the object, and helps situate it within its specific social, economic and material nexus.

In P Mitchell with A Roberts, A Cohen and K Perkins, Catalogue of Stone Age Artefacts from Southern Africa in The British Museum. London, British Museum Occasional Paper 108, 193-208., 2002

De arte, 1984

Research for this article was undertaken in my dissertation, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Licenciaat in de Kunstgeschiedenis en Oudheidkunde, Sectie Etnische Rijksuniversiteit (Belgium) under Prof. Dr. H. Burssens and entitled 'Houtsculptuur van de Bamboie, Boy el a en Walengola (Centraal-Za'ire)' (1979). Supplementary information was provided by the more recent publication of KALALA NKUDI on 'Le lilwakoy des Mbole du Lomami' (in Les Cahiers du CEDAF, Bruxelles, 1979, no. 4, pp. 33) Kunst at the van Gent promotion of