To expand search, see Art. Laterally related topics: Symmetry, Perspective, Fractals in Art, Weaving, Renaissance Art, Basket Making, Tattoos, Pottery, Pattern, Architecture, Proportion and the Golden Ratio, Knots and Knotwork, Wood Carving, Bronzework, Needlework, Art History, Origami, and Mazes.
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Bérczi, Sz. Symmetry and technology in ornamental art of old Hungarians and Avar-Onogurians from the archaeological finds of the Carpathian Basin, seventh to tenth century A.D. Symmetry 2: unifying human understanding, Part 2. Comput. Math. Appl. 17 (1989), no. 4-6, 715--730. (Reviewer: Marjorie Senechal.) SC: 01A99 (01A10 92K99), MR: 91a:01058b.
Analysis of symmetries can be very helpful in better understanding archaeological art and artifacts. The types of symmetries not only show what the author describes as "intuitive mathematical development in ornamental art" but can also help trace relationships between different communities. Such studies are now relatively new, but with time should become "an accepted, standard part of the description of archaeological finds". In this article, the author discusses how all 7 types of strip/frieze patterns occur in Old Hungarian ornamental art, and develops a notion of a double frieze pattern, which is intermediary between frieze patterns and plane patterns. A number of these patterns occur (sometimes individualized) in Avar-Onogurian artifacts. The author's classification of double frieze patterns focuses on how the patterns are generated horizontally and vertically, and may be more useful for archaeological purposes than classification by the related plane patterns. The author gives examples of some plane patterns that came up somewhat naturally, including patterns from weaving, chained ring structures, and the optimal fitting of furs (a pmg plane pattern). The author compares the frequencies of certain symmetry patterns in collections from several cultures. Closely related topics: Hungary in the Middle Ages, Frieze Patterns, Plane Patterns, Double Frieze Patterns, and Archaeology.