Miniature objects as representations of realia

Small socketed axeheads from northern Britain

“…By contrast, here, true 'miniature' axeheads follow the definition presented for Iron Age and Roman miniature objects by Kiernan (2009: 2; see also Green 1981: 253;Kiernan 2015): namely, objects that represent small versions of everyday objects but were clearly non-functional, as indicated by their crude design, highly stylised forms, or production in materials unsuitable for use. These are typically considered 'votive' or amuletic objects and may possess exaggerated elements of the objects on which they are based, or else remove features entirely (see Kiernan 2009).…”

“…Most, if not all, of these are certainly non-functional in a utilitarian sense, being true miniature abstract representations of larger socketed axeheads, such as the Stelloch axehead (3). By around 600 BC, full-sized socketed axeheads had largely ceased in production, so the inspiration for producing these smaller versions probably derived from remembered or rediscovered objects (cf Robinson 1995;Stead 1998;Hingley 2009;Farley 2011;Kiernan 2015), or miniature axeheads were curated and circulated over long periods of time (Bliss 2020: 4-5, 11). Alternatively, they resulted from an embodied long-lived tradition through which miniature socketed axeheads inspired the production of more miniature socketed axeheads.…”

The Symbolic Use of Whetstones and Their Role in Displaying Authority over Metallurgical Processes and Trade

“…Over time, the 'material concept' spread to lower societal strata, and a more communal system of representations, which might, as a counter-effect to their aristocratic counterparts, even have had a democratising effect where their size, ease of manufacture, and simple materials made them conduits for social action on a more general level (Meskell 2015: 10). Importantly, the miniatures not only referred to a distant past or life-size proportion (contrary to the ideas of Kiernan 2015), but had a real place in the life of Viking Age Scandinavia, where they were part of the contemporary symbolic world.…”

Miniatures as Ritual Objects: Exploring the Role of Small-Sized Vessels among the Complex Late Holocene Hunter-Gatherers from the Paraná River Lowlands in South America

“…Miniatures constitute a scaled-down version of real artefacts (López 2012), which, because of their small dimensions, apparently cannot be used for the same purposes as the objects of which they are copies. The miniaturization of objects exists on a global scale, so that the archaeological record of miniatures in different raw materials covers a large spatial, temporal and cultural spectrum (Aguirre 2004; Carey 2006; Cervantes et al 2011; Fladd & Barker 2019; Guerra Clará 2014; Hermes 2003; Kiernan 2015; López Bertrán & Vives Ferrándiz 2015; Park 1998; Park & Mousseau 2003; Prous & Jácome 2007; Uribe et al 2007; Valdez et al 2006, among others). Small objects are frequent in ritual contexts, such as sanctuaries or burials, where they served as votive and mortuary offerings (Gabaldón Martínez 2004).…”