Human iconography in Near Eastern prehistory has so far only examined
specific themes. Iconographic research has mainly focused on aspects of
fertility cults and images of the divine, both of which are strongly
correlated with the beginning of sedentism in the Early Neolithic.
Fieldwork over the last 30 years in South-west Asia has significantly
expanded the spectrum of prehistoric anthropomorphic representations.
This not only requires a re-evaluation of hitherto standard
interpretation models, but also new approaches towards research on
themes such as self-perception and self-expression of the human. The
contributions in this volume will present a new and comprehensive
understanding of prehistoric anthropomorphic iconography which will
supplement the conventional thematic canon that is usually applied to
the analyses of anthropomorphic representations. The contributions
include detailed considerations of contexts containing anthropogenic
images, burial practices, and anthropological data regarding health and
nutrition. The chronological focus of the volume is the period from the
late Epipalaeolithic (Natufian) to the Chalcolithic (c. 14,900 to 5700
cal.BP) covering the 'fertile crescent' region of South-west Asia. This
period and region provide the broad context of the development of
agriculture and animal husbandry as well as further essential
foundations for social coexistence, all of which profoundly influence
our modern society. The chapters show that the human iconography
provides evidence for social hierarchies and complex gender relations
from prehistory on. Further, they show early tendencies towards a
canonisation of the principles of presentation in gestures.
Magic-religious practices become visible, and the basic question
regarding whether human beings or supernatural creatures are depicted is
discussed in several contributions, although the meaning of their
symbolic contents remains to be deciphered by future research.
