The marble kyklos: social cognition, social complexity and material engagement in the Aegean Bronze Age
<p>This thesis applies the principles of Material Engagement Theory (MET), which examines material culture as a dynamic and integral component of human cognitive systems, to study the relationships between Cycladic marble sculpting, social cognition and social complexity. The work investigates...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2021
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| _version_ | 1826289435695644672 |
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| author | Aston, A |
| author2 | Malafouris, L |
| author_facet | Malafouris, L Aston, A |
| author_sort | Aston, A |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>This thesis applies the principles of Material Engagement Theory (MET), which examines material culture as a dynamic and integral component of human cognitive systems, to study the relationships between Cycladic marble sculpting, social cognition and social complexity. The work investigates how material culture shapes the development of intersubjectivity and generates social interactions at emergent scales. As a case study in emergent social complexity this thesis examines the development of Cycladic marble sculpting and the Early Bronze Age ritual centre of Keros. In this light, Cycladic sculpting traditions can be interpreted to have mediated the shifting burdens of social cognition during the Early Bronze Age, facilitating the emergence of novel social organisation as a response to the changing dynamics of the Aegean world. In attempting a cognitive archaeology of Keros and Cycladic sculpting, this thesis examines a broad array of scientific data as well as underutilised archaeological evidence within the framework of MET to generate a coherent approach to social cognition in recent pre-history. If material culture is understood to be an intrinsic feature of human cognitive processes, it is possible to examine the archaeological record as a form of niche construction that has reshaped the evolution and development of the mind. Specifically, evidence from the cognitive sciences suggests an evolutionary feedback loop generated between hands, eyes and the bodies of others. Social cognition can thus be understood to develop from perception-action systems that evolved through pragmatic and cooperative social interactions mediated by material culture. Cycladic figurines, as this thesis argues, present as attention-capturing technologies which shaped identity formation and coordinated social interactions at emergent scales. The relationship between marble, social interaction and longboat voyaging provides a robust explanation for the development and transformation of Keros as well as the broader chronology of the region. Thus, it is argued that the attention-capturing properties of Cycladic figurines generated a semiotics of value through which kinship dynamics were conceptualised and manipulated, enabling the regional organisation of long-range voyaging regimes on Keros.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T02:28:50Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:a689d333-df56-4293-9049-c53c7fa6e896 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T02:28:50Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:a689d333-df56-4293-9049-c53c7fa6e8962022-03-27T02:48:04ZThe marble kyklos: social cognition, social complexity and material engagement in the Aegean Bronze AgeThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:a689d333-df56-4293-9049-c53c7fa6e896Cognitive ArchaeologyEnglishHyrax Deposit2021Aston, AMalafouris, L<p>This thesis applies the principles of Material Engagement Theory (MET), which examines material culture as a dynamic and integral component of human cognitive systems, to study the relationships between Cycladic marble sculpting, social cognition and social complexity. The work investigates how material culture shapes the development of intersubjectivity and generates social interactions at emergent scales. As a case study in emergent social complexity this thesis examines the development of Cycladic marble sculpting and the Early Bronze Age ritual centre of Keros. In this light, Cycladic sculpting traditions can be interpreted to have mediated the shifting burdens of social cognition during the Early Bronze Age, facilitating the emergence of novel social organisation as a response to the changing dynamics of the Aegean world. In attempting a cognitive archaeology of Keros and Cycladic sculpting, this thesis examines a broad array of scientific data as well as underutilised archaeological evidence within the framework of MET to generate a coherent approach to social cognition in recent pre-history. If material culture is understood to be an intrinsic feature of human cognitive processes, it is possible to examine the archaeological record as a form of niche construction that has reshaped the evolution and development of the mind. Specifically, evidence from the cognitive sciences suggests an evolutionary feedback loop generated between hands, eyes and the bodies of others. Social cognition can thus be understood to develop from perception-action systems that evolved through pragmatic and cooperative social interactions mediated by material culture. Cycladic figurines, as this thesis argues, present as attention-capturing technologies which shaped identity formation and coordinated social interactions at emergent scales. The relationship between marble, social interaction and longboat voyaging provides a robust explanation for the development and transformation of Keros as well as the broader chronology of the region. Thus, it is argued that the attention-capturing properties of Cycladic figurines generated a semiotics of value through which kinship dynamics were conceptualised and manipulated, enabling the regional organisation of long-range voyaging regimes on Keros.</p> |
| spellingShingle | Cognitive Archaeology Aston, A The marble kyklos: social cognition, social complexity and material engagement in the Aegean Bronze Age |
| title | The marble kyklos: social cognition, social complexity and material engagement in the Aegean Bronze Age |
| title_full | The marble kyklos: social cognition, social complexity and material engagement in the Aegean Bronze Age |
| title_fullStr | The marble kyklos: social cognition, social complexity and material engagement in the Aegean Bronze Age |
| title_full_unstemmed | The marble kyklos: social cognition, social complexity and material engagement in the Aegean Bronze Age |
| title_short | The marble kyklos: social cognition, social complexity and material engagement in the Aegean Bronze Age |
| title_sort | marble kyklos social cognition social complexity and material engagement in the aegean bronze age |
| topic | Cognitive Archaeology |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT astona themarblekyklossocialcognitionsocialcomplexityandmaterialengagementintheaegeanbronzeage AT astona marblekyklossocialcognitionsocialcomplexityandmaterialengagementintheaegeanbronzeage |