"Common in the plains and confined to no particular lands" as G. Rawlinson notes in 1862, the hare appears in the Near Eastern figurative art in the first half of the 2"d millennium BC, becoming the favourite motif of a group of cylinder seals belonging to the Syrian Style. The paper analyzes the iconography and the occurence of the hare in the Old Syrian glyptic, with the purpose of identifying its symbolic meaning in the Old Syrian culture. The hare symbol will be at first analyzed individually, and its own proper meaning identified; afterwards, the relationships between the hare and the other symbolic elements present in the scene will be highlighted. Finally, the connection with the Old Syrian pantheon will allow to understand the role and the function of hare in the Old Syrian art.
A Hare in the Land of Lions. Analysis and Interpretation of the Leporid Symbol in the Old Syrian Glyptic
Pizzimenti Sara
2015-01-01
Abstract
"Common in the plains and confined to no particular lands" as G. Rawlinson notes in 1862, the hare appears in the Near Eastern figurative art in the first half of the 2"d millennium BC, becoming the favourite motif of a group of cylinder seals belonging to the Syrian Style. The paper analyzes the iconography and the occurence of the hare in the Old Syrian glyptic, with the purpose of identifying its symbolic meaning in the Old Syrian culture. The hare symbol will be at first analyzed individually, and its own proper meaning identified; afterwards, the relationships between the hare and the other symbolic elements present in the scene will be highlighted. Finally, the connection with the Old Syrian pantheon will allow to understand the role and the function of hare in the Old Syrian art.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
