The meander is an orthogonal ornament used since the Neolithic . The name was based on the river loops of the same name . A special form of the meander is the so-called double meander . This consists of two opposing meanders. The rounded shape is called the running dog .
Villa dei Misteri (Mystery Villa) near Pompeii
Meanders can be found, for example, in the borders of robes or as a structure- emphasizing relief and as a frieze in architecture. But they are also in the Pompeian wall paintings, for example in the Villa Mysterii or Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii , but here as a double meander. Meanders are originally a hallmark of Greek art. They were used again and again as a frieze. There are many decorative strips with the meander motif for wallpapers .
In ancient Greece, this ornament stands for the attainment of eternity as duration in time through reproduction. An aging being replaces a young one and thus attains immortality. The older being curls up while a young one unfolds. It is an allusion to the ancient and eternally young god Eros and the ever-renewing energy of the cosmos.
Examples from A Handbook of Ornament . 1898 or earlier
Page 129, explanations for plates 81–84, fret = meander
Plate 81
Plate 82
Plate 83
Plate 84
literature
Otto Kunkel: The meander in the prehistoric and early historical cultures of Europe. Dissertation to obtain a doctorate at the Philosophical Faculty of the Hessian Ludwig University in Giessen in 1925.
