10.04.2013 Views

Middle and Late Bronze Age Metal Tools from the Aegean, Eastern ...

Middle and Late Bronze Age Metal Tools from the Aegean, Eastern ...

Middle and Late Bronze Age Metal Tools from the Aegean, Eastern ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Discerning founders’ hoards <strong>from</strong> votive ones can be challenging, for<br />

differentiating utilitarian <strong>from</strong> non-utilitarian hoards is not always straightforward. An<br />

Early Urnfield Period hoard <strong>from</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>ast France has traditionally been considered a<br />

“founder’s hoard par excellence” with an abundant number of broken tools <strong>and</strong> objects,<br />

yet <strong>the</strong> assemblage was reinterpreted as having signs of ritual violence. 580 The dichotomy<br />

of utilitarian <strong>and</strong> non-utilitarian hoards originated in discourses on European assemblages<br />

<strong>and</strong> was subsequently applied to Mediterranean examples. 581<br />

The majority of Mediterranean hoards are utilitarian, but a few votive deposits are<br />

known. The well-preserved Ras Shamra hoard <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> high priest’s house is a<br />

582<br />

foundation deposit, votive in nature, placed under a threshold. Several socketed adzes<br />

<strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> hoard were inscribed in Ugaritic with a dedication to <strong>the</strong> city’s high priest. 583 On<br />

Cyprus, <strong>the</strong> Enkomi miniature hoard, <strong>the</strong> Enkomi Maison des <strong>Bronze</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Kition<br />

hoard (Floor III of Temple 4) are considered foundation <strong>and</strong> votive deposits. 584 Matthäus<br />

<strong>and</strong> Schumacher-Matthäus interpreted all Cypriot hoards as votive (gifts to <strong>the</strong> deities),<br />

thus emphasizing <strong>the</strong> connection between metallurgy <strong>and</strong> religion on <strong>the</strong> isl<strong>and</strong>. 585 The<br />

cultic interpretation of <strong>the</strong> Cypriot hoards stems <strong>from</strong> a long tradition of German<br />

scholarship on Central European hoarding, as Harding states “…in recent years German<br />

scholars have led <strong>the</strong> way in propounding a votive explanation for almost all hoards,<br />

including many of those that might on <strong>the</strong> face of it appear utilitarian.” 586<br />

Levy’s<br />

580<br />

Nebelsick 2000, 160.<br />

581<br />

Knapp, Muhly, <strong>and</strong> Muhly 1988, 238-244.<br />

582<br />

Schaeffer 1956, 251-279.<br />

583<br />

Schaeffer 1956, 264-269.<br />

584<br />

Knapp, Muhly, <strong>and</strong> Muhly 1988, 246. Two Kition hoard objects are castings, fur<strong>the</strong>r contributing to <strong>the</strong><br />

hoard’s special nature.<br />

585<br />

Matthäus <strong>and</strong> Schumacher-Matthäus 1986; cf. Knapp, Muhly, <strong>and</strong> Muhly 1988.<br />

586<br />

Harding 2000, 361; also see Knapp, Muhly, <strong>and</strong> Muhly 1988, 258. On votive scholarship, see: Harding<br />

2000, 361-365; Hä nsel 1997; Hansen 1997; Schwenzer 1997.<br />

244

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!