Colouring the Past: The Significance of Colour in
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Jones, Andrew / MacGregor, Gavin, PUBLISHER: Berg Publishers, <strong>Colourstrong> shapes our world in pr<strong>ofstrong>ound, if sometimes subtle, ways. It helps us to classify, form opinions, and make aesthetic and emotional judgements. <strong>Colourstrong> operates in every culture as a symbol, a metaphor, and as part <strong>ofstrong> an aesthetic system. Yet archaeologists have tra<strong>distrong>tionally subor<strong>distrong>nated the study <strong>ofstrong> <strong>colourstrong> to the form and material value <strong>ofstrong> the objects they find and thereby overlook its impact on conceptual systems throughout human history. This book explores the means by which <strong>colourstrong>-based cultural understan<strong>distrong>ngs are formed, and how they are used to sustain or alter social relations. From <strong>colourstrong> systems in the Mesolithic, to Mesoamerican symbolism and the use <strong>ofstrong> <strong>colourstrong> in Roman Pompeii, this book paints a new picture <strong>ofstrong> the past. Through their close observation <strong>ofstrong> monuments and material culture, authors uncover the subtle role <strong>colourstrong> has played in the construction <strong>ofstrong> past social identities and the expression <strong>ofstrong> ancient beliefs. Provi<strong>distrong>ng an original contribution to our understan<strong>distrong>ng <strong>ofstrong> past worlds <strong>ofstrong> meaning, this book will be essential rea<strong>distrong>ng for archaeologists, anthropologists and historians, as well as anyone with an interest in material culture, art and aesthetics.