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The origins of decorated ostrich eggs in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2020

Tamar Hodos ,
Caroline R. Cartwright ,
Janet Montgomery ,
Geoff Nowell ,
Kayla Crowder ,
Alexandra C. Fletcher  and
Yvonne Gönster
Tamar Hodos*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol, UK
Caroline R. Cartwright
Affiliation:
Department of Scientific Research, The British Museum, UK
Janet Montgomery
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK
Geoff Nowell
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, UK
Kayla Crowder
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK
Alexandra C. Fletcher
Affiliation:
Department of the Middle East, The British Museum, UK
Yvonne Gönster
Affiliation:
Deutsches Schloss- und Beschlägemuseum, Velbert, Germany
*
*Author for correspondence: ✉ t.hodos@bristol.ac.uk
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Abstract

Decorated ostrich eggs were traded around the Mediterranean during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Research on their origins has focused primarily on decorative techniques and iconography to characterise the producers, workshops and trade routes, thereby equating decorative styles with cultural identities and geographic locations. This is problematic, as craftspeople were mobile and worked in the service of foreign royal patrons. The present study investigates the provenance of ancient ostrich eggs, reconsiders trade patterns via isotopic indicators and characterises decorative techniques in order to assist in the identification of culturally distinct decorative styles or regional preferences.

Keywords

MediterraneanMiddle EastNorth AfricaBronze AgeIron Agestable isotopesostrich eggs
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 94 , Issue 374 , April 2020 , pp. 381 - 400
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd, 2020

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