Sarah Coxon

Creativity and Clay: One year on

Supervisor: Dr. Jo Sofaer

Abstract:

What is creativity in the archaeological record and how does it manifest? What can the study of creativity contribute to archaeology? Furthermore, is it empirically valid? These are just some of the questions I will be addressing in this paper, which discusses the crafting of Middle and Late Bronze Age Belegiš funerary urns from Croatia and Serbia through the lens of creativity. Additionally I argue that creativity and tradition, although they are often treated as such, are not separate and distinct from each other but heavily intertwined. Consequently, one cannot gain understanding of creativity without consideration of tradition, and vice versa.

email: s.coxon@soton.ac.uk