Art and Religion in Thera: Reconstructing a Bronze Age Society

128 pp. Color and black-and-white illustrations throughout. An archaeological study of Thera, the ancient name for what is now called Santorini. This is a book about wall paintings and the function they fulfilled in the Bronze Age society of Akrotiri, Thera. The author discusses the frescoes in their architectural setting and in relation to the objects found in the rooms and buildings. This method enables her to explore the symbolism of the art and to reconstruct actual ceremonies. The paintings also reveal attitudes towards religion and the Therans' basic confidence in the permanance and unchanging order of nature.