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Aegean Design in Near Eastern Palaces, Tell el-Dabʿa

Knowledge and Materiality in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Second Millennium BC


Constact: Prof. Dr. Constance von Rüden


Research

Wall paintings found in different Near Eastern palaces dating to the Middle and Late Bronze Age have set off a controversial debate among experts in the 1990s. These paintings seem foreign in Western Asia and the Nile Delta, whereas iconographical and technical features link them to the fresco paintings of the Aegean. The debate focused mainly on the hypothesis of "Minoan" itinerant craftspeople while other approaches were marginalized. However, especially new finds from Qatna as well as unpublished wall paintings from Tell el-Dab´a, studied within the framework of this project for the first time, indicate a chronological, technical, and iconographical diversity of the phenomenon and plead for a more multifaceted interaction within the Eastern Mediterranean than previously assumed. Therefore, the project has a comparative approach and will integrate different archaeological fields of study and analytical scientific methods. Instead of narrowing the focus on the origin of the craftsmen, the different kinds of knowledge involved in the production and consumption of these wall paintings will be studied and qualitatively differentiated. Thus, it can be discussed how and on which social levels the bodies of knowledge of the different regions of the Eastern Mediterranean were interwoven.


Publications (chronologically)

Ongoing/eds.:

  • M. Bietak/C. von Rüden (eds.), Ägäische Wandmalereien aus dem Tuthmosidenpalast von Tell el Dabʿa.
  • J. Jungfleisch, Architektonische Impressionen aus Tell el-Dab‘a/Avaris Zur Produktion und Rezeption der architektursimulierenden Wandmalereien ägäischen Designs aus ‚Palast G‘ im Kontext Ägyptens (Diss. Ruhr-University Bochum 2021) Publication pending


Recent:

  • J. Becker, Die großformatigen Greifen- und Landschaftsdarstellungen Technik, Ikonographie und Rekonstruktion der Kalkputzmalereien im überregionalen Vergleich, Ägäische Wandma-lereien aus dem Tuthmosidenpalast von Tell el-Dabʿa I = Contributions to the Archaeology of Egypt, Nubia and the Levant 18.1 (Wiesbaden 2024).

Lupe
The Volume 'Tracing Technoscapes. The Production of Bronze Age Wall Paintings in the Eastern Mediterranean' evolved from a Workshop of the 10th ICAANE, which was held in Vienna from the 25th-29th April 2016.

Publications Ordered chronologically:

  • T. Skowronek/A. Hauptmann/C. von Rüden, Using Spinel Chemistry to Characterise Archae-ological Steatite Found in the Wall paintings of Tell el-Dab´a. Egypt, JASc 117 online publi-cations, 2020, 1–9,
  • <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440320300595> (21.10.2024).
  • C. von Rüden, Minoanizing Paintings in the Eastern Mediterranean. In: R. S. Bagnall/K. Brodersen/C. B. Champion/A. Erskine/D. Hollander (eds.), The Encyclopaedia of Ancient His-tory, 2019, 1–7,
  • <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah30099>(21.10.2024).
  • C. von Rüden, What’s in a Style? Minoanizing Paintings in the Eastern Mediterranean. In: American Society of Overseas Research (eds.), Ancient Near East Today. Current News about the Ancient Past, 2019, 1–7, <https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2019/09> (21.10.2014).
  • C. von Rüden, Reconsidering the Alalakh Frescoes within their Levantine Context. In: A. Yener/T. Ingman (eds.), Alalakh 15th Anniversary. Conference held at New Hatay Archaeo-logical Museum Antakya. 10-12 June 2015. AncNearEastSt Suppl. 55 (Leuven 2019) 141–170.
  • J. Becker, How to Paint a Landscape. Technical Perspectives on the 'Aegean'-style Landscape Paintings from Tell el-Dab'a. In: J. Becker/J. Jungfleisch/C. von Rüden (eds.), Tracing Tech-noscapes. The Production of Bronze Age Wall Paintings in the Eastern Mediterranean (Leiden 2018) 173–190.
  • J. Becker/J. Jungfleisch/C. von Rüden, Bull Leaping. In: J. Spier/T. Pott/S. E. Cole (eds.), Be-yond the Nile. Exhib. Cat. Getty Museums Los Angeles (Los Angeles 2018) 56–58.
  • M. Bietak/C. von Rüden, Contact Points. Avaris and Pi-Ramesse. In: J. Spier/T. Pott/S. E. Cole (eds.), Beyond the Nile. Egypt and the Classical World. Exhib. Cat. Getty Museums Los An-geles (Los Angeles 2018) 18–23.
  • J. Jungfleisch, For Further Information Please See the Back of the Plaster. Architectural Im-pressions in the ‘Aegean’-style Wall Paintings from Tell el-Dab'a. In: J. Becker/J. Jung-fleisch/C. von Rüden (eds.), Tracing Technoscapes. The Production of Bronze Age Wall Paint-ings in the Eastern Mediterranean (Leiden 2018) 191–211.
  • C. von Rüden/J. Becker/J. Jungfleisch, Introduction. Technical Perspective on Wall Paintings in the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia. In: J. Becker/J. Jungfleisch/C. von Rüden (eds.), Tracing Technoscapes. The Production of Bronze Age Wall Paintings in the Eastern Mediterranean (Leiden 2018) 7–26.
  • C. von Rüden/T. Skowronek, Between Common Craft Tradition and Deviation. The Making of Stucco Reliefs in the Eastern Mediterranean, in: J. Becker – J. Jungfleisch – C. von Rüden (eds.), Tracing Technoscapes. The Production of Bronze Age Wall Paintings in the Eastern Mediterranean (Leiden 2018) 213–231.
  • C. von Rüden, Producing Aegeanness. An Innovation and Its Impact in Middle and Late Bronze Age Syria/Northern Levant. In: S. Burmeister/R. Bernbeck (eds.), The Interplay of People and Technologies. Archaeological Case Studies on Innovation (Berlin 2017) 223–247.
  • C. von Rüden/J. Jungfleisch, Incorporating the Other. A Transcultural Perspective on some Wall Painting Fragments from Hattusha. In: A. Schachner (eds.), Innovation versus Beharrung. Was macht den Unter schied des hethitischen Reichs im Anatolien des 2. Jahrtausends v. Chr.? Byzas 23, 2017, 61–84.
  • J. Becker, The Large-Scale Landscape Paintings of Tell el-Dab’a/Egypt. In: R. A. Stucky/O. Kaelin/H.-P. Mathys (eds.), Proceedings of the 9th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. University of Basel June 9th -13th (Wiesbaden 2016) 23–36.
  • J. Jungfleisch, When Aegean Wall Paintings Meet Egyptian Architecture. Simulations of Ar-chitecture from ‹Palace G› at Tell el-Dab’a/Egypt. In: R. A. Stucky/O. Kaelin/H.-P. Mathys (eds.), Proceedings of the 9th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. University of Basel June 9th -13th (Wiesbaden 2016), 37–50.
  • C. von Rüden, Tracing Diversities in Eastern Mediterranean Wall Paintings. Mycenean Semi-nar 2014/2015. January 2015, BICS 59, 2016, 137–38.
  • C. von Rüden, A Touch of Luxury from the Western Fringe of the Ancient World. The Aegean Impact on the Qatna Wall Paintings. In: P. Pfälzner/M. al-Maqdisi (eds.), Qatna and the Net-works of Bronze Age Globalism (Wiesbaden 2015) 249–264.
  • C. von Rüden, Transmediterranean Knowledge and Minoan Style Reliefs in Tell el-Dab’a. An Attempt at Paradigm Shift. In: S. Cappel/U. Günkel-Maschek/D. Panagiotopoulos (eds.), Mi-noan Archaeology. Perspectives for the 21st Century (Louvain 2015) 355–366.
  • C. von Rüden/J. Becker/J. Jungfleisch, From Small Fragments to Large Animals. A Large-Size Animal Fight in Tell el Dab’a. E&L 24, 2014, 149–166.
  • C. von Rüden, Beyond the East-West Dichotomy in Syrian and Levantine Wall Paintings. In: B. Brown/M. Feldman (eds.), Critical Approaches to Near Eastern Art (Berlin 2013) 55–78.
  • M. Bietak/C. von Rüden/J. Becker/J. Jungfleisch/L. Morgan, Preliminary Report of the Tell el Dab‘a Wall Painting Project. Season 2011/2012, E&L 22/23, 2012/2013, 127–143.
  • C. von Rüden, Die Wandmalereien von Tall Mishrife/Qatna im Kontext einer ägäisch-syrischen Kommunikation. Qatna-Studies 2 (Berlin 2011).
  • C. von Rüden, Ein Hauch westlicher Luxus im Palast von Qatna. In: M. al-Maqdisi (eds.), Schätze des Alten Syrien. Die Entdeckung des Königreichs Qatna. Exhib. Cat. Landesmuseum Württemberg Stuttgart (Stuttgart 2009) 176–181.

Project Management

Prof. Dr. Constance von Rüden
Institut für Archäologische Wissenschaften
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Am Bergbaumuseum 31, 44791 Bochum
Raum: 0.3.4
Tel.: (0234) 32-28546
Mail: constance.vonrueden@ruhr-uni-bochum.de


Participants

Cooperation partners and financial support