L’uso dei metodi quantitativi nell’indagine sui linguaggi figurativi del Vicino Oriente preclassico: Una disamina globale

Abstract

In the field of art history of ancient Western Asia there is quite a long tradition in the use of quantitative and digital methodologies. However, such a tradition is not so rich in experiences, and it is in general very complicated to integrate properly quantitative tools and logics in research approaches to ancient art history, partly because of cultural issues, partly depending on technical or logistical problems. These are probably the main reasons which often made the use of mathematical models in the art history of the pre-classic Western Asia relatively unpopular.

In the past the study of glyptic iconography was among the most favourite fields for the use of quantitative methods, but the efforts of the different scholars are, on the whole, still poorly coordinated, and thus not very consistent with each other. Other interesting experiments show, anyway, that the fields for the application of such tools can be very numerous and large. What is actually of fundamental importance is that the scholars in humanities keep a control and an awareness on the functioning and the features that are typical and essential in the models they use.

It will be presented here a general critical overview of the different concrete uses of quantitative methods in ancient Near Eastern art history. This will serve as a starting point for suggestions and guidelines and for the drawing of new, more general and coordinated approaches in the near future, hoping that more accessible techniques and wider interest and variety of models will facilitate this.