THE COMMUNICATIVE POTENTIAL OF THERAN MURALS IN LATE BRONZE AGE AKROTIRI: APPLYING VIEWSHED ANALYSIS IN 3D TOWNSCAPES

Abstract

Summary This paper aims to contribute to the discussion of the social functions of Aegean wall painting, by examining the communicative impact and possible socio‐symbolic significance of Theran murals in the urban landscape of Late Bronze Age Akrotiri (Thera, Greece). It uses a novel method of computational analysis to investigate the visibility of mural painting in the prehistoric townscape which combines the functionalities of 3D modelling and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The benefits of this approach lie in that it considers virtually all observer locations in the study area, while taking more fully into account the precise shape of built forms and the physiological structure of the human visual system than other established methods of visibility analysis used in landscape and urban studies. The application of the methodology in the townscape of Akrotiri highlights some previously unobserved spatial relationships that could have played a role in enhancing the communicative impact of Theran murals in the LBA built environment, consequently encouraging the wide production of mural decoration in the settlement.

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