Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T07:57:02.179Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Engraved Tridacna-Shell Discs*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2013

Baruch Brandl
Baruch Brandl
Affiliation:
The Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

It is now more than 140 years since archaeologists began dealing with the engraved Tridacna shells, whose distribution extended from Vulci in the west to Susa in the east, and from Memphis in the south to Gordion and Vulci in the north. Their number is growing constantly and is now approaching 100. This increase is the result not only of the publication of new finds or old museum material, which until now escaped the scholar's eyes, but also of the reclassification of four items, in the past said to be imitations made of various stones, as authentic Tridacna shells.

In this article I want to show that this is true not only with the complete Tridacna shells, but also of a sub-group of Tridacna shells cut into the shape of discs. I will try to prove that the items in this sub-group are indeed Tridacna shells by describing them and discussing their motives and distribution. I will not deal with questions such as the centre of manufacture, distributors, style etc. important as they are. These aspects will be discussed by me in detail in a separate publication which will treat the Tridacna shell group as a whole.

Type
Research Article
Information
Anatolian Studies , Volume 34 , December 1984 , pp. 15 - 41
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute at Ankara 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aharoni-Amiran, , 1963. Aharoni, Y. and Amiran, Ruth, “The first season of excavations at Tel Arad”, Yediot Bahaqirat Eretz-Israel Weatiqoteha, continuing the Bulletin of The Israel Exploration Society (New Series) Vol. XXVII, No. 4 (1963), pp. 217–34, Pls. I–VIII (Hebrew).Google Scholar
Aharoni-Amiran, , 1964a. Aharoni, Y. and Amiran, Ruth, “Excavations at Tel-Arad: Preliminary report on the first season, 1962”, Israel Exploration Journal Vol. XIV No. 3 (1964), pp. 131–47, Pls. 31–8.Google Scholar
Aharoni-Amiran, , 1964b. Aharoni, Y. and Amiran, Ruth, “Arad. A biblical city in Southern Palestine”, Archaeology Vol. XVII No. 1 (March 1964), pp. 43–53.Google Scholar
Akurgal, , 1966. Akurgal, E., Orient und Okzident, Baden-Baden 1966, = The Art of Greece, Its Origins in the Mediterranean and Near East. New York, 1968 (English Trans.).Google Scholar
Amandry, , 1958. Amandry, P., “Objets orientaux en Grèce et Italie aux VIIIe et VIIe siècles avant J.-C.”, Syria XXXV (1958), pp. 73 ff., Pls. V–VIII.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amiet, , 1976. Amiet, P., “Tridacnes trouvés à Suse”, RAss. LXX (1976), pp. 185–6.Google Scholar
Amirann-Aharoni, , 1967a. Amiran, R. Aharoni, Y., Ancient Arad, Introductory guide to exhibition at the Israel Museum, January–April 1967, The Israel Exploration Society, The Department of Antiquities and Museums, Ministry of Education and Culture, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Catalogue No. 32.Google Scholar
Amiran-Aharoni, , 1967b. Catalogue No. 25 (Hebrew).Google Scholar
Andrae, , 1939. Andrae, W., “Gravierte Tridacna-Muscheln aus Assur”, ZA N.F. XI/XLV (1939), pp. 86–98, Pls. X–XIV.Google Scholar
Barnett, , 1957. Barnett, R. D., A Catalogue of The Nimrud Ivories, with other examples of Ancient Near Eastern Ivories in The British Museum, London 1957 (2nd edition, revised and enlarged, 1975).Google Scholar
Barnett, , 1963. Barnett, R. D., “Hamath and Nimrud, shell fragments from Hamath and the provenance of the Nimrud ivories”, Iraq XXV (1963), pp. 81–4, Pls. XV–XVIII.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, , 1967. Bennett, Crystal M., “A cosmetic palette from Umm el-Biyara”, Antiquity XLI (1967), pp. 197–201, Pls. XXI–XXIII.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, , 1977. Bennett, Crystal M., “Excavations at Buseirah, Southern Jordan, 1974: Fourth Preliminary Report”, Levant IX (1977), pp. 1–10, Pls. I–III.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, , 1978. Bennett, Crystal M., “Some reflections on Neo-Assyrian influence in Transjordan”, in Moorey, R. and Parr, P. (eds.) Archaeology in the Levant, Essays for Kathleen Kenyon, London 1978, pp. 165–71.Google Scholar
Bennett, , 1982. Bennett, Crystal M., “Neo-Assyrian influence in Transjordan”, in Hadidi, A. (ed.) Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan I, Amman, 1982, pp. 181–7.Google Scholar
Bissing, v., 1912. FrBissing, W. V., “Orientalische Weihgeschenke in Delphi”, Ath. Mit. XXXVII (1912), pp. 222–5.Google Scholar
Blinkenberg, , 1926. Blinkenberg, Chr., “Lindiaka II, Tridacnes Gravées”, Det. Kgl. Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, Historiskfilologiske Meddelelser XI, 4 (1926), pp. 5–31.Google Scholar
Blinkenberg, , 1931. Blinkenberg, Chr., Lindos, Fouilles de L'Acropole 1902–1914, Vol. I, Les petits objets. Berlin 1931.Google Scholar
Brandl, , 1984. Brandl, B., “The restoration of an engraved Tridacna shell from Arad”, The Israel Museum Journal, III (1984), pp. 76–9.Google Scholar
Braun, , 1841. Braun, , Bullettino dell'instituto Di Corrispondenza Archeologica no. X di ottobre 1841, p. 134.Google Scholar
Buhl, , 1983. Buhl, Marie-Louise, Sūkās VII, The Near Eastern pottery and objects of other materials from the Upper Strata, Copenhagen 1983.Google Scholar
Bull. dell'inst., 1848. Anon. Adunanza de' 25 Febbrrajo 1848. Bullettino dell'instituto Di Corrispondenza Archeologica no. IV di Aprile 1848, esp. p. 59.Google Scholar
Crowfoot, , 1957. Crowfoot, J. W., Crowfoot, G. M., Kenyon, Kathleen M. et al. , The Objects From Samaria, London 1957.Google Scholar
Culican, , 1970. Culican, W., “A palette of Umm el-Biyara type”, Palestine Exploration Quarterly 102 (1970), pp. 65–7, Pls. XIII–XIV.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diehl, , 1965. Diehl, Erika, “Fragmente aus Samos II”, Archäologischer Anzeiger 1965, cols. 823–36.Google Scholar
Dunbabin, , 1962. Dunbabin, T. J., Perachora Vol II, Oxford 1962.Google Scholar
Geva, , 1980. Geva, Shulamit, “A fragment of Tridacna shell from Shechem”, Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palastina-Vereins 96 (1980), pp. 41–7, Pl. I.Google Scholar
Layard, , 1849. Layard, A. H., The Monuments of Nineveh Vol. I, London 1849.Google Scholar
Mallowan, , 1966. Mallowan, M. E. L., Nimrud and its Remains, London 1966.Google Scholar
Parker-Haswell, , 1967. Parker, T. J. and Haswell, W. A., A Text-Book of Zoology Vol. I, London. (Sixth edition, revised by O. Lewenstein 1940, reprinted 1967.)Google Scholar
Perdrizet, , 1896. Perdrizet, M., “Coquille décorée de dessins du trait. BCH XX (1896), pp. 604–5, Pls. XXXI—XXXIII.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riis, , 1960. Riis, P. J., “L'activité de la Mission Archéologique Danoise sur la côte phénicienne en 1959. Les Annales Archéologiques de Syrie X (1960), pp. 111–32.Google Scholar
Schultz, , 1840. Schultz, , “Monumenti”, Bullettino dell'instituto Di Corrispondenza Archeologica, No. IVa di aprile 1840, p. 56.Google Scholar
Stern, , 1978. Stern, E., “New types of Phoenician style decorated vases from Palestine”, PEQ 110 (1978), pp. 11–21, Pls. I–III.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stucchi, , 1959. Stucchi, S., “Un nuovo frammento di tridacna incisa”, Bollettino D'Arte XLIV (1959), pp. 158–66.Google Scholar
Stucky, , 1974. Stucky, R. A., The Engraved Tridacna Shells, São Paulo, 1974 (= Dédalo 19).Google Scholar
Torelli, , 1965. Torelli, M., “Un Uovo di struzzo dipinto conservato nel Museo di Tarquinia”, Studi Etruschi XXXIII (1965), esp. pp. 360–1.Google Scholar