Art of Ancient India and the Aegean

Contents

Foreword – Dr Dimitrios Th. Vassiliadis

Preface

Introduction

Issues relating to Chronology

Definition. Scope and Coverage of Art

Structure of the Book

1. A Brief Introduction to Ancient Societies

Indus (India)

Minoan (Crete)

Mycenaean (Greek Mainland)

Cycladic

2. Egalitarianism, Elitism and Prestige Goods

Towards a Framework of Analysis

How Unequal or Elitist were Ancient Societies?

3. The Art of the Indus Valley and the Aegean

Pottery

Sculpture

Male Busts and Stone Figures

Frescoes and Paintings

Seals and Signet Rings

Jewellery

Architecture

Concluding Remarks

4. The Indus Valley and Minoan Crete:Fortuitous Parallels or Cultural/Historical Contacts?

Parallels between the Indus Valley and Minoan Crete

Indirect Contacts

Direct Contacts

Cross-Cultural Influences in Ancient Art

Functionality of Ancient Art

Concluding Remarks

5. Direct Greek Influences on Indian Gandhara Art

Pottery

Sculpture

Painting

Seals and Signet Rings

Jewellery

Coins

Architecture

Concluding Remarks

6. Conclusion: Patronage, Pomp and Power

Royal and Elite Patronage

The Social Context

Peace and Stability

Parallels between the Indus and the Aegean: Coincidence or Contacts?

Concluding Remarks

References

Index

About the Author

Dr A.S. Bhalla is a former Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, UK, and former Special Adviser to the President of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada. He has held academic positions at the Universities of Cambridge, Manchester, Oxford and Yale. His previous publications on the history of art include Royal Tombs of India, Buddhist Art in Asia, Monuments, Power and Poverty in India: From Ashoka to the Raj, Glimpses of Medieval Switzerland, and Imperial India: A Pictorial History.

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