A figurine in the hand is worth two behind glass
Thinking through the materiality of Luristani imagery
Keywords:
Figurines, Materiality, LuristanAbstract
Four brown-black hand-sized clay figurines from Kazabad, Iran call for attention because of their imagery, colour and surface and because they do not seem to have any close morphological parallels. As they were obtained from locals during an archaeological expedition in 1963-64, they are not associated with a stratigraphic context. However, by using the “New Materialist”approach“agential realism”of Karen Barad, alternative opportunities of interpretation come out. By following small details using all relevant senses, significant similarities and differences are revealed. Instead of letting a basic theory direct the analysis, Karen Barad advises to think through different connections and scales. This leads to narratives and possible relations, which can be tested as hypotheses. The analyses suggest that the design and handling of the figurines followed certain practices, and that they may connect to a Mesopotamian as well as an Indo-Iranian past. Agential realism gives justice to concrete findings rather than subsuming them under categories, and it allows the marvel of engaging with the past through tangible things.
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