Cypro-Archaic Bird Iconography: Types, Uses, and Meanings Alicia Marie Dissinger Marysville, Pennsylvania Bachelors of Art, College of Wooster, 2008 Masters of Arts, University of Texas at Austin, 2010 A Dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy McIntire Department of Art University of Virginia March, 2017 _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ © 2017 Alicia Marie Dissinger Abstract Images of birds became common in the art of Cyprus during the Archaic period, ca. 750- 475 BC, and this study explores the types of birds created, the use of the images, and ultimately, the meanings imbedded in the representations. Despite their prevalence, most scholars have noted the birds in passing, and interpreted them as added decoration. A majority of scholarship about the decipherment of avian images in the ancient Mediterranean focuses on the Greek world, the Near East, and Egypt, while Cypriot bird portrayals lack in-depth analyses. Therefore, this project has three goals: first, to create a typological system for identification of bird images and objects, based on bird types; second, to establish a representative sample of known Cypro- Archaic bird images; third, to elucidate the cultural connotations associated with bird portrayals during the Cypro-Archaic period. This investigation begins by providing an introduction to how avifaunae and their images were perceived during antiquity in the eastern Mediterranean. In two subsequent chapters, the sculpted and painted birds are discussed separately, and are analyzed based on their classified bird type, as derived from the typological system created. Birds of prey, songbirds, and waterfowl have been identified in the Cypriot artistic repertoire. The context of the bird portrayals are also examined in order to distinguish patterns of deposition which highlight the use of the artifacts. Bird images are also analyzed in relation to the many other types of animal representations made on Cyprus during the Archaic period. Such comparisons situate the bird depictions in the larger sphere of Cypriot art and culture. In the conclusion, each bird type (bird of prey, songbird, and waterfowl) is summarized to expose the cultural connotations associated with each, and additionally, two major themes, religion and death, drawn from the analysis are discussed. It is demonstrated that each of the three identified bird types (bird of prey, songbird, and waterfowl) were deposited and used in particular ways during the Cypro-Archaic period, indicating that each type was perceived to have its own cultural connotation. The rarely created birds of prey were primarily deposited within private cultic contexts, suggesting they may have been apotropaic devices or manifestations of power. Representations of songbirds are mainly associated with ritualistic paraphernalia and have been found in sanctuaries, indicating their use in cultic rituals and thought. Waterfowl portrayals are most commonly discovered in mortuary assemblages, insinuating a relationship between the bird and conceptions of death. Thus, it is suggested that the three types of bird representations gained their cultural connotations by associations the ancient Cypriots attached to their live counterparts. Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... i Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... iii Introduction: Birds, Art, and Cyprus ..................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Ancient Perceptions and Attitudes towards Birds ............................................... 20 Chapter 2: Representations of Cypro-Archaic Sculpted Birds .............................................. 64 Chapter 3: Bird Images on Cypro-Archaic Vases ................................................................. 100 Chapter 4: Archaeological Context of Cypro-Archaic Avian Images ................................... 152 Chapter 5: Representations of other Animals ........................................................................ 203 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 251 Appendix A: The Cypro-Archaic Period: Dating and Brief Overview ................................. 266 Appendix B: Catalog: Cypro-Archaic Sculpted Birds .......................................................... 273 Appendix C: Catalog: Cypro-Archaic Vases Displaying Bird Images ................................. 317 Appendix D: Context for Cypro-Archaic Bird Representations .......................................... 364 Figures ................................................................................................................................... 387 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 483 Acknowledgements This study would not have been possible without the support of the University of Virginia, the McIntire Department of Art, the Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation, the Kapp Family, the Danielle Parks Memorial Fellowship, the Lindner Endowment, the Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Research Fellowship, the Double Hoo Research Grant, the University of Texas’ Charles Edwards Endowed Scholarship, the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI), and the US Fulbright Program. A special thank you must go to the Fulbright Program. With their support, I was able to access material which would not have been available otherwise, which greatly impacted the course of my study. It is an invaluable program which must persist for future scholars. With the help of Sondra Sainsbury and Anna Argyrou, in the Cyprus Fulbright office, I was able to expand my horizons and focus on my research. The quality of this dissertation was heavily influenced by my “family” at CAARI. Academic tutelage under Dr. Andrew McCarthy was invaluable. He persuaded me to examine artifacts and material in new and different ways, which influenced the direction of the chapters I wrote during my time at CAARI. I cannot thank Vathoulla Moustoukki, Katerina Mavromichalou, and Fotoulla Christodoulou enough. If I felt tired, or needed a break, they were always there to encourage me with Cypriot words, as well as coffee. Everyone at CAARI made my husband and I feel so welcomed and at home. Of course the scholars and students I met while at CAARI were all so gracious with their time and shared much knowledge with me, as well as an occasional Zivania. Special thanks must go to Dr. Bernard Knapp, Dr. Jenny Webb, Dr. Smadar Gabrieli, Dr. Penelope Mountjoy, Dr. William Childs, Dr. Joanna Smith, Dr. Nancy Serwint, Dr. Cecilia Beer, Dr. Claudia Lang, Dr. Anja Ulbrich, Dr. Lisa Graham, Hazar Kaba, and Dr. Pamela Gaber. An important thank you belongs to the Cyprus Department of Antiquities. The graciousness of Dr. Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou allowed me to view many objects in person, which was invaluable to this dissertation. Additional thanks must go to Andreas at the Polis Museum, Thomas in the Larnaca Museum, and the entire staff in the Nicosia Museum. A thank you must also go to the Pierides Museum - Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, and Katerina Prodromou. Their hospitality and access to material was very much appreciated and important to my work. Dr. Thomas Kiely and the British Museum workers were also very accommodating and helpful, and the access provided to objects was instrumental to my study. Furthermore, a large thank you must go to the Athienou Archaeological Project (AAP), Dr. Michael Toumazou, Dr. Derek Counts, Dr. P. Nick Kardulias, and Dr. Jody Michael Gordon. They indoctrinated me into the world of Cypriot art, archaeology, history, and culture. The supervision of my advisor, Dr. Tyler Jo Smith, has been immeasurable. She pushed me so that I could rise to meet the challenge, which led me to become a better scholar. Additionally, she encouraged my love of birds, and helped me funnel my personal interests into an academic inquiry. Thanks must also be placed upon Dr. John Dobbins, who helped “water” my love of water birds. A thank you to Dr. Natasha Dakouri-Hild who showed me ways to think outside the box. i My past academic advisors have also been extremely influential on my life and career. Dr. P. Nick Kardulias is an inspirational person, who I am glad to call a friend. Without his advice and direction at the College of Wooster, I wouldn’t have gone down this path to become the person I am today, let alone complete a dissertation in the field that I love with great passion. When at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Nassos Papalexandrou guided me through the few tough first years of a graduate program and showed compassion at every turn. Without him, I wouldn’t have found my way into the Orientalizing or the Archaic period! I’d also like to thank an “old friend” who helped send me on this path into academia, Dr. Daniel Jones. He was blessed with the Herculean task of forcing me to focus during high school history classes, and my assigned seat in the front row did the trick. Perhaps it was the term he used most often – “when pigs fly” – which somehow imprinted on my influential young mind, unknowingly