Standardising Creativity. Analytical Tools for the Study of Clay Figurines in the Mediterranean and Near East

Abstract

From 6to 10April 2021, the 12th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (ICAANE) took place remotely and was broadcast from the University of Bologna, Italy. Within the conference, Barbara Bolognani and Nadeshda Bladt Knudsen organized a workshop entitled “Standardising Creativity. Analytical Tools for the Study of Clay Figurines in the Mediterranean and Near East”. The workshop was part of the thematic session no. 3 “Hammering the material world. Characterization of material culture, processes and technologies” and was held under the auspices of the Association for Coroplastic Studies (ACoST), with the kind support and presence of the group’s founder and president, Jaimee Uhlenbrock. The workshop involved thirteen coroplastic specialists from eight different countries and thirteen affiliated institutions. The principal focus of the workshop was on Mediterranean and Near Eastern clay figurines. The aim was to give voice to wide-ranging and inclusive aspects of terracotta figurine studies that resonate with all researchers in this field, irrespective of geographic region or archaeological period.

Keywords

• Near Eastern terracottas
• Mediterranean terracottas
• terracotta production
• coroplastic studies methods
• critical approaches.