A symposium at Brown University, sponsored by the Program in Early Cultures
Organized by Gretel RodrÃguez (Brown University) & Meghan Rubenstein (Colorado College)
Discussant: Itohan Osayimwese (Brown University)
April 5, 2025
9:30am – 6:30pm
Location: Rhode Island Hall, Room 108
60 George Street, Providence, RI 02912
In the ancient world, architectural form and ornament were often intertwined, with elements such as the Caryatids on the Athenian Erechtheion or zoomorphic masks at the Maya site of Kabah serving both structural and aesthetic purposes. Among these early cultures, architectural sculpture conveyed historical narratives, imbued utilitarian structures with symbolic associations, and elicited a wide range of kinetic and emotional responses in viewers. Studies of ancient art and architecture tend to consider sculpture independently of its architectural support. While a growing body of scholarship examines the role of architectural and urban contexts for freestanding sculpture, less attention has been paid to the many ways in which these two mediums were often conceived jointly by ancient makers. A cross-cultural analysis focusing on this relationship furthers our understanding on the many ways in which human creativity shaped the pre-modern built environment. This symposium proposes a close exploration of architectural sculpture in a variety of contexts throughout the ancient world (ca. 3000 BCE-1500 CE). Our speakers will theorize the intricate connections of architecture and sculpture within current scholarly dialogs in the fields of history of art and history of architecture, including approaches such as phenomenology, materiality, reception, sensory responses, and embodiment, among others. Presentations will cover almost two millennia and will deal with material from the pre-colonial Americas, the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Hellenistic Greece, China, and sub-Saharan Africa, offering a global take on the subject.