In this innovative study, James Whitley examines the relationship
between the development of pot style and social changes in the Dark Age
of Greece (1100-700 BC). He focuses on Athens where the Protogeometric
and Geometric styles first appeared. He considers pot shape and painted
decoration primarily in relation to the other relevant features - metal
artefacts, grave architecture, funerary rites, and the age and sex of
the deceased - and also takes into account different contexts in which
these shapes and decorations appear. A computer analysis of grave
assemblages supports his view that pot style is an integral part of the
collective representations of Early Athenian society. It is a lens
through which we can focus on the changing social circumstances of Dark
Age Greece. Dr Whitley's approach to the study of style challenges many
of the assumptions which have underpinned more traditional studies of
Early Greek art.