1st Edition
The Art of the Eurasian Steppe Its Influence on European Cultures
The Art of the Eurasian Steppe is a contextual analysis which traces the stylistic transformation of artefacts depicting animals from various cultures of the Eurasian steppe, and investigates its possible influence on Central and Northern European art. A wide range of individual cultures are "visited" and their historic, cultural, and geographic specifics are explored. The survey in this book is based on a chronological structure, including an East-West geographic direction. This accommodates to position described artefacts of certain styles within time periods, cultures, and locations.
Most of the existing literature related to cultures of the Eurasian steppe is specialised on one particular culture or one archaeological excavation. The book is written as a hypothetical journey through time and space, structured in an east to west direction. It provides a wide-reaching overview by placing the discussed artefacts into a cultural, geographic, and chronologic frame, particularly the thousand years between 500 BC and 500 AD. Artistic expression and style are a central theme to explore possible relationships between civilisations of the Eurasian steppe and their influence on medieval Central and Northern European creation of artefacts.
Academics in the fields of art history, archaeology, history, and fine arts will find this book compelling/useful.
1. Introduction 2. The beginning of animal depictions in the Eurasian 3. The Xiongnu 4. The Yuezhi 5. The Ordos Culture 6. The Qiemu'erqieke, Xiaohe, and Tianshanbeilu 7. The Pazyryks 8. Images on stones 9. The Sakae 10. Tillya tepe 11. The Bactrians 12. The Parthians 13. The Alans 14. The Sarmatians 15. The Permians 16. The Scythians 17. Classical Scythians, Pontic Scythians 18. The Taurians 19. The Cimmerians 20. The Goths 21. The Heruls 22. The Vandals 23. The Lusatians 24. The Huns 25. The Merowingians, Franks, and Avars 26. Sutton Hoo and Scandinavia 27. Scandinavia and the Silk Road 28. Scandinavian artefacts with animal depictions 29. Sagas of settlement and Asian DNA in Scandinavian society 30. Summary 31. Epilogue 32. Inhabitants of Eurasia 33. List of Museums with significant collections of objects with animal depictions.
Biography
Peter Hupfauf studied art and design in Frankfurt, Germany. As a designer, he created many well-known images and campaigns. In the early 1980s, Hupfauf revitalised his interest in fine arts and created abstracts in reference to Northern European history. After moving to Australia, he received a Master of Fine Arts at the University of NSW and subsequently commenced doctorial studies on the art of early Scandinavia, which resulted in a PhD at the University of Sydney. Dr Hupfauf’s books and papers were published over the recent years. They combine his expertise as both a scholar and an artist/designer.
