AI – ‘Historians and art historians use a range of interdisciplinary methodologies to interpret ancient art, combining visual analysis, contextual research, scientific techniques, and comparative studies. These methods help to understand the function, meaning, and historical context of artworks, even when no accompanying text exists. 

Key methodologies include:

• Formal/Visual Analysis: This involves a close examination of the artwork’s visual elements, such as composition, form, line, color, texture, and scale. By analyzing these formal qualities, historians can gain insights into the artist’s choices, identify stylistic characteristics unique to a specific period or culture, and understand the intended visual experience.
• Iconography and Iconology: This is the study and interpretation of the subject matter, symbols, and motifs within the art. Historians compare these elements with other imagery and texts from the same era to decode their meaning. For example, specific symbols for gods or rulers can be identified and tracked across different works.
• Contextual Analysis: This critical method places the artwork within its original historical, social, cultural, economic, and political context. Historians research the function of the object (e.g., an altarpiece, a tomb, a palace), the motivations of the patron who commissioned it, and the audience for whom it was made, using primary sources like letters, inventories, and historical documents.
• Archaeological Methods and Fieldwork: The circumstances of an artwork’s discovery provide vital clues. Archaeologists use methods like stratigraphy (analyzing layers of earth) and typological analysis (classifying artifacts by shared characteristics) to establish a chronology and context for the find.
• Comparative Analysis: Historians compare and contrast artworks across different time periods, cultures, or artists to identify similarities, differences, and influences. This can involve using bilingual texts or similar objects from known cultures to help interpret unknown ones, as the Rosetta Stone was used for Egyptian hieroglyphs.
• Scientific and Technical Analysis: Modern technology helps conservators and historians study the physical object itself. Techniques include:
  • X-radiography and infrared reflectography to reveal hidden details, such as underdrawings or changes made to a painting.
  • Dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) to help date wooden objects.
  • Radiocarbon dating for organic materials to provide an absolute timeframe.
  • X-ray fluorescence to identify the chemical composition of pigments or metals.
• Material Culture Studies: This approach examines the meaning of objects based on their materials, production processes, and use in their cultural context, often collaborating with conservators and craftspeople to understand “how it was made”. 

By combining these diverse methodologies, historians build a comprehensive understanding of ancient art as both a visual experience and a cultural artifact.’