Authors
Jeanne Lopiparo, Rosemary A Joyce
Publication date
2022
Journal
Breaking Images: Damage and mutilation of ancient figures
Pages
66-92
Publisher
Oxbow
Description
This chapter argues that fragmentation and enchainment begin, not with the moment when something is broken after use, but when an assemblage of humans and nonhumans comes together as the first step in an object biography or itinerary. Using the example of fired clay objects from the Ulua region of northern Honduras, made between c. AD 600 and 1000, we explore how ceramic material flows across locations, shaping and transforming social relations. The specific things whose activity we trace are figural, with representations of humans, non-human animals, zoomorphic hybrids, and anthropomorphic images with extraordinary features all included. These things are simultaneously participants in social life, from shared meals to ceremonies featuring music, dance, and the burning of various tree resins. The inherent activity of the fired clay things is, we suggest, not created by human intervention that shaped …
Total citations
2023202411
Scholar articles
J Lopiparo, RA Joyce - Breaking Images: Damage and mutilation of ancient …, 2022