Books by Laura E Alvarez
Aegaeum, 2023
[English version below]
Qu’a-t-il reflété jadis, ce miroir minoen ou mycénien à la surface bour... more [English version below]
Qu’a-t-il reflété jadis, ce miroir minoen ou mycénien à la surface boursouflée d’oxydes verts, encore mêlé de la terre de la sépulture dans laquelle il fut déposé? Ancien luxe de commodité, fruit d’une précision technique et artistique, et de matériaux importés à grands frais, ne pouvait avoir un miroir en métal qui veut: il y a plus de trente siècles, l’usage commun est celui du plan d’eau, du bol d’huile, qui offrent après tout un reflet suffisant en réponse à d’autres besoins. Qu’a-t-on recherché, dès lors, au travers de son éclat brillant aux reflets cuivrés? S’agissait-il d’impressionner par un nouveau mode de vie fait de choses superflues, d’imiter les codes hiérarchiques des cours lointaines orientales raffinées, de rivaliser de prestige et d’innovation avec les pouvoirs voisins? Et quelles furent les interprétations merveilleuses de ses propriétés optiques? C’est par ces questions que ce livre tente de réviser l’image déprimée d’ornement banal qui a longtemps prévalu sur le miroir égéen ancien, dont les premières apparitions et l’évolution, au cours du deuxième millénaire avant notre ère, ont été portées par de nouveaux flux idéologiques, sociaux et politiques, mais aussi commerciaux, entre les rives grecques et celles du pourtour méditerranéen. Plus d’un tiers du corpus archéologique, estimé à environ 200 pièces, a été étudié, photographié et dessiné dans les réserves des musées helléniques. Les exemplaires les mieux conservés, à manche finement ouvré, font souvent partie des pièces maîtresses de leurs collections. Objets, contextes archéologiques, et sources de nature et de provenances diverses (iconographiques, littéraires, ethnographiques), sont associés pour offrir un regard actualisé sur un pan de l’histoire du miroir ancien, avec ses acteurs, ses processus, et ses trajectoires. La séquence d’évènements ainsi reconstituée montre que l’apparition du miroir en métal dans les sociétés égéennes, plutôt que d’être le simple corollaire de changements culturels, sociaux, ou politiques, en est également le catalyseur.
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What does the surface of this Minoan or Mycenaean mirror reveal, covered in green oxides and impregnated with the very earth of its burial site? This ancient emblem of luxury and practicality was the result of meticulous technical and artistic craftsmanship, using materials procured at great cost. Not everyone could possess a metal mirror in those times, more than three millennia ago. The commonplace alternatives were pools of water or bowls of oil, which sufficed for basic reflection.
So, what was the purpose behind its dazzling, coppery radiance? Was it intended to dazzle with a new way of life replete with luxuries? Did it aspire to emulate the hierarchical codes of refined Near Eastern courts or vie with neighboring powers in prestige and innovation? And what enchanting secrets did its optical properties hold? With these questions in mind, this book seeks to dispel the long-held notion of the ancient Aegean mirror as a mundane ornament.
During the second millennium BC, the initial appearances and development of these mirrors were driven by new ideological, social, political, and commercial exchanges between the Aegean and Mediterranean shores. A comprehensive study, including photography and drawings, has been undertaken on over a third of the archaeological collection, estimated at around 200 items, stored in Hellenic museums. The best-preserved specimens, featuring intricately crafted handles, often rank as masterpieces within their respective collections. Through a combination of objects, archaeological contexts, and various sources, including iconography, literature, and ethnography, this book offers a contemporary exploration of a facet of ancient mirror history, complete with its key actors, processes, and trajectories.
The reconstructed sequence of events reveals that the introduction of metal mirrors into Aegean societies wasn't merely a consequence of cultural, social, or political shifts; rather, it served as a catalyst for these changes.
Mirrors in the Late Bronze Age Aegean stems from my doctoral thesis, defended on 11 October 2021.
Mémoires de la Société belge d’Études Celtiques, 2022
Papers by Laura E Alvarez
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2024
This study deals with the results of the 2023 fieldwork at the extramural cemetery of the Late Br... more This study deals with the results of the 2023 fieldwork at the extramural cemetery of the Late Bronze Age harbour city of Hala Sultan Tekke. One of the three excavated tombs in 2023 was the undisturbed Chamber Tomb XX, which is dated around 1300 BC. It contained a riveted bronze mirror, a rare type in Cyprus at that time, which is part of a mortuary context of four individuals out of a total of 17 individuals and 264 complete objects, many of them imported from a vast area, which includes the Mycenaean, Minoan, Egyptian and Levantine cultures. The current paper presents this mirror and associated contexts. As regards the provenance of the mirror, the Aegean is suggested as the area of manufacture, and more precisely Crete, suggesting potential evidence of direct contact between individuals from Crete and Hala Sultan Tekke.
The Silk Road Cultural Studies, 2023
In Chinese [镜出东方：新石器时代到铁器时代西亚和欧洲的镜子生产和使用概述]
Revue archéologique , 2023
Examining the inaugural production of stone and metal mirrors from the Neolithic to the Iron Age ... more Examining the inaugural production of stone and metal mirrors from the Neolithic to the Iron Age in Prehistory and Protohistory provides a foundation for crafting a fresh narrative on the evolution of reflection in the Eastern and Mediterranean regions. This historical exploration traces its origins back to Egypt and the Ancient Near East. With a focused historical lens, our objective is to encapsulate this phenomenon chronologically and geographically within and around the Mediterranean space. Moreover, we seek to delineate its integration into regional commercial circuits.
The ancient tradition of seeking communion with the spirits of gods and ancestors has deep roots ... more The ancient tradition of seeking communion with the spirits of gods and ancestors has deep roots in various cultures. The practice of divination serves as a conduit to establish a more direct spiritual connection with these invisible realms. While Celtic religious beliefs are becoming increasingly clear, our understanding of divination among the Northern Alpine populations during the Second Iron Age remains limited, primarily gleaned from scant Greek and Latin sources.
Despite the growing interest in Celtic divinatory sciences, our paper aims to broaden the scope by delving into a specific yet overlooked form of divination: catoptromancy. This method involves divining through reflection, particularly by inspecting a mirror. Our investigation begins with an exploration of the Celtic mirror corpus, going beyond their conventional uses in personal grooming (shaving, hairdressing). What other purposes did these mirrors serve? Were they a means of deciphering divine messages and glimpsing into the future?
Reviews by Laura E Alvarez
Journal of Greek Archaeology, 2023
Auspiciously titled, Kleronomiá (heritage/legacy) is a Festschrift designed to mark the most extr... more Auspiciously titled, Kleronomiá (heritage/legacy) is a Festschrift designed to mark the most extraordinary achievements in Aegean archaeology of Professor Jeffrey S. Soles, recently retired from the Department of Classical Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Soles, who celebrated his eightieth birthday in 2022, is widely known as the co-director of the excavations on the island of Mochlos, located in Eastern Crete in the Mirabello Bay. For half a century (since the early 1970s), he has played a key role in advancing our understanding of early Cretan societies. All researchers exploring Minoan Crete will, at one time or another, come across Soles' fundamental work The Prepalatial Cemeteries at Mochlos and Gournia and the House Tombs of Bronze Age Crete, published by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens in 1992.
Journal of Greek Archaeology, 2022
Journal of Greek Archaeology, 2022
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Books by Laura E Alvarez
Qu’a-t-il reflété jadis, ce miroir minoen ou mycénien à la surface boursouflée d’oxydes verts, encore mêlé de la terre de la sépulture dans laquelle il fut déposé? Ancien luxe de commodité, fruit d’une précision technique et artistique, et de matériaux importés à grands frais, ne pouvait avoir un miroir en métal qui veut: il y a plus de trente siècles, l’usage commun est celui du plan d’eau, du bol d’huile, qui offrent après tout un reflet suffisant en réponse à d’autres besoins. Qu’a-t-on recherché, dès lors, au travers de son éclat brillant aux reflets cuivrés? S’agissait-il d’impressionner par un nouveau mode de vie fait de choses superflues, d’imiter les codes hiérarchiques des cours lointaines orientales raffinées, de rivaliser de prestige et d’innovation avec les pouvoirs voisins? Et quelles furent les interprétations merveilleuses de ses propriétés optiques? C’est par ces questions que ce livre tente de réviser l’image déprimée d’ornement banal qui a longtemps prévalu sur le miroir égéen ancien, dont les premières apparitions et l’évolution, au cours du deuxième millénaire avant notre ère, ont été portées par de nouveaux flux idéologiques, sociaux et politiques, mais aussi commerciaux, entre les rives grecques et celles du pourtour méditerranéen. Plus d’un tiers du corpus archéologique, estimé à environ 200 pièces, a été étudié, photographié et dessiné dans les réserves des musées helléniques. Les exemplaires les mieux conservés, à manche finement ouvré, font souvent partie des pièces maîtresses de leurs collections. Objets, contextes archéologiques, et sources de nature et de provenances diverses (iconographiques, littéraires, ethnographiques), sont associés pour offrir un regard actualisé sur un pan de l’histoire du miroir ancien, avec ses acteurs, ses processus, et ses trajectoires. La séquence d’évènements ainsi reconstituée montre que l’apparition du miroir en métal dans les sociétés égéennes, plutôt que d’être le simple corollaire de changements culturels, sociaux, ou politiques, en est également le catalyseur.
-------------------
What does the surface of this Minoan or Mycenaean mirror reveal, covered in green oxides and impregnated with the very earth of its burial site? This ancient emblem of luxury and practicality was the result of meticulous technical and artistic craftsmanship, using materials procured at great cost. Not everyone could possess a metal mirror in those times, more than three millennia ago. The commonplace alternatives were pools of water or bowls of oil, which sufficed for basic reflection.
So, what was the purpose behind its dazzling, coppery radiance? Was it intended to dazzle with a new way of life replete with luxuries? Did it aspire to emulate the hierarchical codes of refined Near Eastern courts or vie with neighboring powers in prestige and innovation? And what enchanting secrets did its optical properties hold? With these questions in mind, this book seeks to dispel the long-held notion of the ancient Aegean mirror as a mundane ornament.
During the second millennium BC, the initial appearances and development of these mirrors were driven by new ideological, social, political, and commercial exchanges between the Aegean and Mediterranean shores. A comprehensive study, including photography and drawings, has been undertaken on over a third of the archaeological collection, estimated at around 200 items, stored in Hellenic museums. The best-preserved specimens, featuring intricately crafted handles, often rank as masterpieces within their respective collections. Through a combination of objects, archaeological contexts, and various sources, including iconography, literature, and ethnography, this book offers a contemporary exploration of a facet of ancient mirror history, complete with its key actors, processes, and trajectories.
The reconstructed sequence of events reveals that the introduction of metal mirrors into Aegean societies wasn't merely a consequence of cultural, social, or political shifts; rather, it served as a catalyst for these changes.
Mirrors in the Late Bronze Age Aegean stems from my doctoral thesis, defended on 11 October 2021.
Papers by Laura E Alvarez
Despite the growing interest in Celtic divinatory sciences, our paper aims to broaden the scope by delving into a specific yet overlooked form of divination: catoptromancy. This method involves divining through reflection, particularly by inspecting a mirror. Our investigation begins with an exploration of the Celtic mirror corpus, going beyond their conventional uses in personal grooming (shaving, hairdressing). What other purposes did these mirrors serve? Were they a means of deciphering divine messages and glimpsing into the future?
Reviews by Laura E Alvarez
Qu’a-t-il reflété jadis, ce miroir minoen ou mycénien à la surface boursouflée d’oxydes verts, encore mêlé de la terre de la sépulture dans laquelle il fut déposé? Ancien luxe de commodité, fruit d’une précision technique et artistique, et de matériaux importés à grands frais, ne pouvait avoir un miroir en métal qui veut: il y a plus de trente siècles, l’usage commun est celui du plan d’eau, du bol d’huile, qui offrent après tout un reflet suffisant en réponse à d’autres besoins. Qu’a-t-on recherché, dès lors, au travers de son éclat brillant aux reflets cuivrés? S’agissait-il d’impressionner par un nouveau mode de vie fait de choses superflues, d’imiter les codes hiérarchiques des cours lointaines orientales raffinées, de rivaliser de prestige et d’innovation avec les pouvoirs voisins? Et quelles furent les interprétations merveilleuses de ses propriétés optiques? C’est par ces questions que ce livre tente de réviser l’image déprimée d’ornement banal qui a longtemps prévalu sur le miroir égéen ancien, dont les premières apparitions et l’évolution, au cours du deuxième millénaire avant notre ère, ont été portées par de nouveaux flux idéologiques, sociaux et politiques, mais aussi commerciaux, entre les rives grecques et celles du pourtour méditerranéen. Plus d’un tiers du corpus archéologique, estimé à environ 200 pièces, a été étudié, photographié et dessiné dans les réserves des musées helléniques. Les exemplaires les mieux conservés, à manche finement ouvré, font souvent partie des pièces maîtresses de leurs collections. Objets, contextes archéologiques, et sources de nature et de provenances diverses (iconographiques, littéraires, ethnographiques), sont associés pour offrir un regard actualisé sur un pan de l’histoire du miroir ancien, avec ses acteurs, ses processus, et ses trajectoires. La séquence d’évènements ainsi reconstituée montre que l’apparition du miroir en métal dans les sociétés égéennes, plutôt que d’être le simple corollaire de changements culturels, sociaux, ou politiques, en est également le catalyseur.
-------------------
What does the surface of this Minoan or Mycenaean mirror reveal, covered in green oxides and impregnated with the very earth of its burial site? This ancient emblem of luxury and practicality was the result of meticulous technical and artistic craftsmanship, using materials procured at great cost. Not everyone could possess a metal mirror in those times, more than three millennia ago. The commonplace alternatives were pools of water or bowls of oil, which sufficed for basic reflection.
So, what was the purpose behind its dazzling, coppery radiance? Was it intended to dazzle with a new way of life replete with luxuries? Did it aspire to emulate the hierarchical codes of refined Near Eastern courts or vie with neighboring powers in prestige and innovation? And what enchanting secrets did its optical properties hold? With these questions in mind, this book seeks to dispel the long-held notion of the ancient Aegean mirror as a mundane ornament.
During the second millennium BC, the initial appearances and development of these mirrors were driven by new ideological, social, political, and commercial exchanges between the Aegean and Mediterranean shores. A comprehensive study, including photography and drawings, has been undertaken on over a third of the archaeological collection, estimated at around 200 items, stored in Hellenic museums. The best-preserved specimens, featuring intricately crafted handles, often rank as masterpieces within their respective collections. Through a combination of objects, archaeological contexts, and various sources, including iconography, literature, and ethnography, this book offers a contemporary exploration of a facet of ancient mirror history, complete with its key actors, processes, and trajectories.
The reconstructed sequence of events reveals that the introduction of metal mirrors into Aegean societies wasn't merely a consequence of cultural, social, or political shifts; rather, it served as a catalyst for these changes.
Mirrors in the Late Bronze Age Aegean stems from my doctoral thesis, defended on 11 October 2021.
Despite the growing interest in Celtic divinatory sciences, our paper aims to broaden the scope by delving into a specific yet overlooked form of divination: catoptromancy. This method involves divining through reflection, particularly by inspecting a mirror. Our investigation begins with an exploration of the Celtic mirror corpus, going beyond their conventional uses in personal grooming (shaving, hairdressing). What other purposes did these mirrors serve? Were they a means of deciphering divine messages and glimpsing into the future?