‎Elisabeth Begemann, Diana Pavel, Georgia Petridou, Anna-Katharina Rieger, Rubina Raja, J rg R pke (eds)‎
‎Magnification and Miniaturization in Religious Communications in Antiquity and Modernity. Materialities and Meanings‎

‎, Brepols, 2023 Paperback, xiv + 230 pages, Size:216 x 280 mm, Illustrations:47 b/w, 72 col., 3 maps b/w, 1 maps color, Language: English. ISBN 9782503604794.‎

Reference : 63347

‎Summary Human agents might not be the measure of all things. Nonetheless, human bodies, and their bodily dimensions, often are, with size impacting on the ways in which we conceive of, interact with, and relate to the world around us. The scaling up or down of features ? magnification and miniaturization ? is particularly evident in the creation of anthropogenic items intended for use in religious ritual, and here sizing can be employed as a deliberate strategy to encourage shock and awe, admiration and deterrence, among spectators. Taking as its starting point the concept of 'materialities and meanings', this volume explores how human perceptions and understanding of magnified and miniaturized forms and structures are shaped and changed, both synchronically and diachronically, by our understanding of the human body and its size, and the impact that this has in our relationship with the wider world in the context of ritual practices. The chapters collected here consider a range of questions, from a discussion on the essentials of magnification or miniaturization to an exploration of the impact of such strategies on humans and their wider socio-political ramifications. Together, these chapters contribute to a unique discussion that offers new insights into 'materialities and meanings', the creation of items for ritual, and the ways in which they influence human perception and understanding. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations Abbreviations 1. Magnification and Miniaturization in Religious Communication in Antiquity and Modernity: Materialities and Meanings Elisabeth Begemann, Diana Pavel, Georgia Petridou, Rubina Raja, Anna-Katharina Rieger, and J rg R pke Miniaturization 2. Look Closely and You Will See: The Banqueting Tesserae from Palmyra and Small-Scale Iconography Rubina Raja 3. The Material Record of Micro-Shares: An Archaeological Case Study on Sanctuary Transactions in Ancient Sicily Natascha Sojc 4. What Do Tiny Objects Want? A Case Study with Miniature Pottery from Pompeii Anna-Katharina Rieger 5. Are the Same Objects Desirable for People and for Gods? Material and Dimensional Interchangeability Elisabeth Trinkl Monumentalization 6. Scaling Altars in the Etruscan Funerary Sphere Diana Pavel 7. Urban Monumentality and Religion J rg R pke 8. Perceptions of Changing Religious Landscapes in Augustan Rome Devmini Malka Wijeratne 9. The King and the Population as Protagonists of the Oath: Intermediatory Semantics in Ancient Near Eastern Treaties Elena Malagoli Domestic Space 10. Small, Versatile, Numinous: Pagan-Mythological Statuettes at the End of Antiquity Ine Jacobs 11. The Dancing Deity: Diminishing the Goddess Libertas on the Palatine Elisabeth Begemann 12. Di Penates: From Small Objects to Anthropomorphic Gods Peter Scherrer The Fragmented and the Augmented Body 13. The Eyes Have It: Materialities, Monumentality, and Meanings in Eye-shaped Modern Greek tamata and Ancient Greek anathemata Georgia Petridou 14. A Triangle of Mary: Relating Religious Artefacts to Non-Religious Lorry Drivers Manuel Moser Index‎