Influenze mediterranee nell'iconografia preromana: il caso di alcuni Mischwesen

This communication aims to present the recent development on the influence of Levantine iconography on the fantastic bestiary in the Pre-Roman Italy during the Orientalizing period. The three cases considered (sphinxes, centaurs and possible representations of god Bes) shed light on the elaborate connections between Levant, Aegean and Italy. The depicted frame is various: it is sometimes possible to trace the origin of a particular iconography, but in other cases it seems that some links are still missing. Finally it is also possible that also the ideas linked to a particular subject could have been not only reproduced by the local craftsmen but also understood by the local aristocracies who committed the product.