Symmetries of Culture

This groundbreaking collaboration between an anthropologist and a mathematician constitutes both a collection of symmetrical pattern designs from many cultures and a monograph on pattern design and the classification of symmetrical patterns. Intended for art historians, anthropologists, classical archaeologists, and others interested in the study of material culture, it can also serve as a reference and inspiration for the use of symmetrical patterns in art and design.

"This richly illustrated study brings to light dozens of intriguing examples of symmetrical designs, for instance, in a Zulu loincloth, a Japanese chopstick case, a New England quilt, a Tibetan 'Plaque of a Thousand Lamas,' a Hawaiian water gourd. The same pattern found in a fantastical drawing of lizards by M. C. Escher is echoed in a Fijian basket lid and an Egyptian wall mosaic." — Publishers Weekly

"This extremely useful guide to classifying plane pattern designs … is extensively illustrated with carvings, textiles, baskets, tiles, and poetry, which are used as examples of various symmetry patterns." — American Anthropologist

"An impressive book—both in terms of its physical appearance and its content ... will undoubtedly become the major reference on the analysis of patterns in terms of symmetry properties." — Antiquity

Dorothy K. Washburn was a Visiting Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Rochester. She is the author of many articles as well as A Symmetry Analysis of Upper Gila Area Ceramic Design and Structure and Cognition in Art.
Donald W. Crowe is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin and the author of many articles in mathematical journals. He is also a co-author of Excursions into Mathematics.