13-22

An incised depiction of an acrobat in a theran wall-painting

• Τελεβάντου, Χριστίνα Α.

Xeste 4 is one of the most important and interesting buildings in the prehistoric city of Akrotiri on Thera, on account of its architectural form and the wall-paintings with which it was adorned. Both sides of the staircase leading from the ground floor to the second floor were decorated with a procession of men depicted life size, holding a variety of objects and vessels. The wall-painting is contemporary with the earliest procession fresco in the palace of Knossos (LM IA). On the white ground of the scene, behind one of the male figures, we identified an incised miniature representation of an acrobat (F ig. 1). This was probably a study by one of the artists who worked on the wall-painting, though it is not inconceivable that it is a preliminary sketch for a figurine, similar to the bronze figurine from Crete in the British Museum (Fig. 2), that will have been held by one of the male figures.Iconographie analysis of the motif has shown that the pose of the Theran acrobat is consistent with the sport of bull-leaping, and moreover with the type of A. Evans (Fig. 3); a possible restoration of the scene (F i g. 4) was made on this basis. It is a purely Minoan type, going back to the MM IIB period and occurring down to LM I. Amongst the few examples found in Aegean art are two sealings recently discovered at Akrotiri; this example in the wall-painting of Xeste 4 is the first occurrence of the motif in Theran wall-paintings.The Theran depiction, and the wall-painting with the procession in general, demonstrate that, as time goes on and research progresses, the repertoire of Theran wall-paintings is steadily increased by the addition of new elements, known previously either only from Crete or from the rest of the Aegean world, which support the theory that Minoan painting exercised a fundamental influence on that of Thera. These elements give rise to serious speculation as to whether the influence of Minoan civilisation was confined solely to matters of art (aesthetics) and technology, or whether they reflect a profounder, more substantial Minoan influence on the social and religious beliefs of society at Akrotiri - possibly even reflecting dependency, since these fields, irrespective of period or socio-political system, are almost invariably linked with the structure of society and depend to a great degree on the character of the authority.In closing this discussion of the motif of the acrobat on Thera, I believe that important evidence is promised by the Theran wall-painting of the procession and Xeste 4 in general for the iconography of the Thera paintings, and for Minoan features in the social and religious beliefs at Akrotiri: it is my hope that, as excavation proceeds, Thera will also furnish us with a wall-painting depicting ‘bull-leaping’, a motif of Minoan origins that was highly popular in Aegean art and that was also favourably received outside the Aegean, as is clear from wall-paintings revealing Minoan influence found recently in Egypt.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Decorative arts
• Archaeology and art

Περιέχει σχέδια και συντομογραφίες, Το άρθρο περιέχεται στο τεύχος: Μέρος Α'-Μελέτες, Ο αρθρογράφος ευχαριστεί τον Διευθυντή Ανασκαφών Ακρωτηρίου, Καθηγητή κ. Χρήστο Ντούμα για την άδεια δημοσίευσης. Την εγχάρακτη παράσταση του ακροβάτη εντόπισε το θέρος του 1991 κατά τη διάρκεια των εργασιών του Εργαστηρίου Συντήρησης Τοιχογραφιών, του οποίου είχε την επίβλεψη λειτουργίας. Είχε σχεδόν αμέσως επεξεργασθεί το θέμα, όμως η ολοκλήρωσή του, λόγω άλλων υποχρεώσεων, έγινε δυνατή μόνο στο τέλος του 1996. Επίσης ευχαριστεί την Εύη Παπαθωμά, συντηρήτρια αρχαιοτήτων και σχεδιάστρια, για τη βοήθειά της στο τελικό στάδιο των Σχεδίων 3-4.