Abstract
A Danish eighteenth-century find of some bronze figurines tells the story of the practising of similar ritual
performances across Bronze Age Europe from Egypt to Scandinavia. The Danish figurines, as well as Swedish
rock carvings, show backwards-bending female acrobats doing backward handsprings. The exact same appearance
is found on Egyptian depictions related to ceremonies and festivals.OnMinoan Crete backwards-bent acrobats are
related to bull leaping and bull ceremonies. Despite local variations, backwards-bent acrobatic performances
carried out by topless female actorswere part of the immaterial, ritual and cosmological exchange that characterized
the second and early firstmillennium BC.Beliefs and ritual practices went hand in hand with the adoption of a series
of elite items and an aristocratic lifestyle, thereby creating a unique and fascinating European Bronze Age.
performances across Bronze Age Europe from Egypt to Scandinavia. The Danish figurines, as well as Swedish
rock carvings, show backwards-bending female acrobats doing backward handsprings. The exact same appearance
is found on Egyptian depictions related to ceremonies and festivals.OnMinoan Crete backwards-bent acrobats are
related to bull leaping and bull ceremonies. Despite local variations, backwards-bent acrobatic performances
carried out by topless female actorswere part of the immaterial, ritual and cosmological exchange that characterized
the second and early firstmillennium BC.Beliefs and ritual practices went hand in hand with the adoption of a series
of elite items and an aristocratic lifestyle, thereby creating a unique and fascinating European Bronze Age.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | World Archaeology |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 242-255 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISSN | 0043-8243 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2014 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Humanities
- European Bronze Age
- acrobats
- figurines
- Scandinavia
- the Aegean
- Egypt