Abstract
This paper investigates ancient ceramics as “vessels of time” that carry narrative motion and ritual symbolism across cultures. It offers a comparative study of Urartian and Ancient Greek pottery, focusing on the divine figures Haldi and Dionysos as focal points of ritual and proto-animated imagery. Prior research on Urartian art revealed sequential motifs and “proto-animation” – the portrayal of movement through repeated images – especially on bronze belts and vessels. Here, we extend that inquiry to Greek Geometric and Archaic pottery to explore how both cultures used the rotating surface of vessels to create narrative motion. Employing visual narratology, ritual theory (Durkheim’s collective effervescence, Turner’s performance and liminality), and semiotic/structural analysis, we analyze Urartian ritual scenes and Greek mythological vignettes. Urartian belts depict rhythmic sequences of animals, worshippers, and the war god Haldi, embodying cyclical ritual time. Greek vases, from Geometric funeral amphorae to black-figure Dionysian cups, develop techniques of continuous and synoptic narrative, using successive scenes and symbolic condensation to imply motion and story. We juxtapose Haldi and Dionysos as archetypes of ritual movement – one anchoring royal martial rites, the other presiding over ecstatic wine festivals – and examine how each tradition visualized motion in service of communal ritual. This cross-cultural dialogue reveals that, despite vast differences, both Urartian and Greek artisans exploited the circular form of pottery to sequence images in time, anticipating later animation and narrative media. The study concludes that ancient ceramics functioned as proto-cinematic media, blending art, ritual, time into enduring visual narratives
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Urartian Art Greek Vase Painting Visual Narratology Proto-Animation Ritual Representation
