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The Tribal Tattooing of Daunian Women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Camilla Norman
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Abstract

Using cross-cultural ethnographic and archaeological analogy, this paper offers a new interpretation for a specific societal attribute represented on the Iron Age stelae of Daunia, arguing that the designs on the forearms of the female stelae do not represent gloves but are instead tattoos. By questioning a single, long-held, belief about the stelae, it is hoped to highlight a very important principle of method: the need to identify and investigate the socio-cultural context of an image or artefact. For too long the Daunian stelae have been looked at through Hellenized eyes. Unlike other Italic societies of this period, the Daunians appear to have remained reasonably unaffected by Greek and wider Mediterranean influence, suggesting the Iron Age inhabitants of the region retained a strong ethnic identity. With limited evidence of their social and religious life deriving from other sources, any hope of understanding these people properly relies on a correct reading of their stelae, which can only be achieved by firmly placing these monuments within an Adriatic milieu.

En utilisant des analogies ethnographiques et archéologiques interculturelles, cet article propose une nouvelle interprétation d'un attribut sociétal spécifique représenté sur les stèles de l'âge du fer de Daunia. En effet, on prétend que les dessins sur les avant-bras des stèles féminines ne représentent non pas des gants, mais des tatous. En remettant en question une seule conviction ancienne au sujet des stèles, on souhaite souligner un très important principe de méthode : le besoin d'identifier et d'examiner le contexte socioculturel d'une image ou d'un artefact. Trop longtemps, les stèles de Daunia ont été considérées par des yeux hellénisés. Contrairement à d'autres sociétés italiques de cette période, les Dauniens semblent avoir été assez peu influencés par les Grecs et autres méditerranéens, ce qui fait penser que durant l'âge du fer les habitants de cette région ont conservé une forte identité ethnique. Comme il n'existe guère de témoignages de leur vie sociale et religieuse provenant d'autres sources, le seul espoir de vraiment comprendre ce peuple repose sur l'interprétation correcte de ses stèles, ce qui ne pourra être réalisé que par le solide établissement de ces monuments au sein d'un milieu adriatique. Translation by Isabelle Gerges.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Unter der Annahme, dass Motive auf den Unterarmen weiblicher Darstellungen nicht Handschuhe, sondern Tattoos darstellen, bietet dieser Beitrag mittels kulturübergreifender ethnographischer und archäologischer Analogien einen neuen Interpretationsansatz eines besonderen gesellschaftlichen Attributes, das auf den eisenzeitlichen ‘Daunischen Stelen’ dargestellt ist. Mit dem Hinterfragen einer einzelnen, lange vertretenen Meinung zu den Stelen, soll ein sehr bedeutendes metho- disches Prinzip hervorgehoben werden: die Notwendigkeit, den sozio-kulturellen Kontext eines Bildes oder Artefaktes zu identifizieren und zu untersuchen. Zu lange sind die Daunischen Stelen durch ‘hellenisierte’ Augen betrachtet worden. Im Gegensatz zu anderen italischen Gesellschaften dieser Periode scheinen die Daunier von den Griechen und dem weiteren mediterranen Einfluss größten-teils unbeeinflusst geblieben zu sein, was darauf hindeutet, dass die eisenzeitlichen Bewohner der Region eine starke ethnische Identität bewahrt haben. Aufgrund der begrenzten anderen Zeugnisse ihres sozialen und religiösen Lebens ruht die größte Hoffnung, diese Menschen richtig verstehen zu können, im korrekten Lesen ihrer Stelen, was ausschließlich dadurch erreicht werden kann, diese Monumente fest im adriatischen Kulturmilieu zu ver- ankern. Translation by Heiner Schwarzberg.

Keywords

Dauniastelaetattoocross-cultural analogyDauniastèlestatouanalogie interculturelleDaunierStelenTattookulturübergreifende Analogie
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 14 , Issue 1-2 , 2011 , pp. 133 - 157
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 Maney Publishing 

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