1300 187 187
What informed and inspired the visual artists who depicted the Trojan War on vases, on walls, and in sculpture? Scholars have debated this question for years. Were Greek painters simply depicting the stories of Achilles and Odysseus as recounted in Homer's epics? Or did they work independently, following their own traditions without regard to the Iliad, the Odyssey, and other poetry of their time?
Steven Lowenstam offers here an alternative theoretical framework, arguing that Greek artists and poets interacted with each other freely, always aware of what the others were producing. As Trojan War myth was the common inheritance of all Greek storytellers, verbal and visual depictions of heroic myth were not created in isolation but were interdependent responses to a centuries-old tradition.
As Witnessed by Images investigates visual depictions of Achillean and Odyssean myth from ca. 650-300 BCE and traces the many messages that the stories of Achilles and Odysseus inspired. Lowenstam identifies a variety of images and interpretations -- some regarded Achilles as a hero, others believed him to be a cruel bully -- that reflect and directly respond to the ancient heroic tradition from which the Iliad and Odyssey evolved.
Highly recommended. Choice 2009 A thought-provoking book that also well illustrates the salient points of the author's argument. -- Peter A. Clayton Minerva 2009
| List of Illustrations | |
| Foreword | |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| Paradigms and the Role of Poetry | p. 4 |
| Chronology | p. 7 |
| Purposes and Methodology | p. 10 |
| Greece | p. 13 |
| The Francois Vase | p. 20 |
| Corinthian Perspectives | p. 27 |
| Troilos and Achilleus | p. 35 |
| Exekias | p. 39 |
| Sirens | p. 43 |
| Ransom of Hektor | p. 51 |
| Fifth-century Portraits of Achilleus and Odysseus | p. 63 |
| Kabiric Vases | p. 71 |
| Conclusions | p. 80 |
| Megale Hellas | p. 84 |
| Trojan Topics | p. 91 |
| The Funeral of Patroklos | p. 93 |
| Thetis' Touch and an Embassy to Achilleus | p. 98 |
| The Dolon Painter | p. 103 |
| Thersites | p. 110 |
| Lykaon | p. 114 |
| Conclusions | p. 120 |
| Etruria | p. 124 |
| The Monteleone di Spoleto Chariot | p. 128 |
| The First Pania Pyxis | p. 136 |
| The Ambush of Troilos | p. 139 |
| Fifth-century Mirrors | p. 148 |
| Achilleus' Immolation of Trojan Youths | p. 157 |
| The Torre San Severo Sarcophagus | p. 165 |
| Aftermath and Conclusions | p. 170 |
| Conclusion | p. 174 |
| Notes | p. 177 |
| Bibliography | p. 207 |
| Index | p. 223 |
| Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780801887758
ISBN-10: 0801887755
Audience:
Tertiary; University or College
For Ages: 22+ years old
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 248
Published: 1st August 2008
Dimensions (cm): 25.9 x 18.6
x 2.173
Weight (kg): 0.642
9am - 4pm AEST, Monday - Friday
