Images in motion: Fourth century BC Athenian pottery from the Iberian Peninsula: Workshops and iconography

Carmen Sánchez Fernández, Diana Rodríguez Pérez

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Empúries, the only Greek colony in the Iberian Peninsula that has been clearly identified so far, received most of its Athenian imports during the 5th century BC. But it is not until the 4th century when the number of Greek products increased significantly in the rest of the Peninsula. At that time, almost every Iberian settlement and cemetery known to us contained Attic pottery, and sometimes, in large quantities. The study of these imports in their contexts provides insights into the trade networks of Attic products in the west Mediterranean from the end of the 5th and in particular during the 4th century BC, and it also gives information about the Iberians themselves, who adopted these products in their own social structures with an aim to perpetuate power relationships. Both the shapes and the iconography of the imported pottery, with clear regional preferences, mark differences between the regions of the Peninsula and allow for a better identification of the particularities of each of them. In our contribution we will address questions such as how the Iberians used Greek vases, which shapes were imitated in the Peninsula and to which uses they served, and the use of imagery in a heavily aniconic world. These examples will help us raise questions about the Iberian identity as well as about the reception and selection processes undertaken by the Iberians who, in particular in the 4th century BC, introduced Greek vases as luxury items in their economic and social structures.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Greeks in Iberia and Their Mediterranean Context
EditorsJens A. Krasilnikoff, Benedict Lowe
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherRoutledge
Pages160-173
Number of pages14
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9781003804901
ISBN (Print)9781032470900
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Nov 2023

Publication series

NameRoutledge Monographs in Classical Studies
PublisherRoutledge

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