Personification in the Greek World

Personification in the Greek World
Author: Judith Herrin
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2017-07-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 1351911775

Download Personification in the Greek World Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Personification, the anthropomorphic representation of any non-human thing, is a ubiquitous feature of ancient Greek literature and art. Natural phenomena (earth, sky, rivers), places (cities, countries), divisions of time (seasons, months, a lifetime), states of the body (health, sleep, death), emotions (love, envy, fear), and political concepts (victory, democracy, war) all appear in human, usually female, form. Some have only fleeting incarnations, others become widely-recognised figures, and others again became so firmly established as deities in the imagination of the community that they received elements of cult associated with the Olympian gods. Though often seen as a feature of the Hellenistic period, personifications can be found in literature, art and cult from the Archaic period onwards; with the development of the art of allegory in the Hellenistic period, they came to acquire more 'intellectual' overtones; the use of allegory as an interpretative tool then enabled personifications to survive the advent of Christianity, to remain familiar figures in the art and literature of Late Antiquity and beyond. The twenty-one papers presented here cover personification in Greek literature, art and religion from its pre-Homeric origins to the Byzantine period. Classical Athens features prominently, but other areas of both mainland Greece and the Greek East are well represented. Issues which come under discussion include: problems of identification and definition; the question of gender; the status of personifications in relation to the gods; the significance of personification as a literary device; the uses and meanings of personification in different visual media; personification as a means of articulating place, time and worldly power. The papers reflect the enormous range of contexts in which personification occurs, indicating the ubiquity of the phenomenon in the ancient Greek world.

Personification in the Greek World

Personification in the Greek World
Author: Emma Stafford
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780754650317

Download Personification in the Greek World Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Personification, the anthropomorphic representation of any non-human thing, is a ubiquitous feature of ancient Greek literature and art. Natural phenomena (earth, sky, rivers), places (cities, countries), divisions of time (seasons, months, a lifetime), states of the body (health, sleep, death), emotions (love, envy, fear), and political concepts (victory, democracy, war) all appear in human, usually female, form. Some have only fleeting incarnations, others become widely-recognised figures, and others again became so firmly established as deities in the imagination of the community that they received elements of cult associated with the Olympian gods. Though often seen as a feature of the Hellenistic period, personifications can be found in literature, art and cult from the Archaic period onwards; with the development of the art of allegory in the Hellenistic period, they came to acquire more 'intellectual' overtones; the use of allegory as an interpretative tool then enabled personifications to survive the advent of Christianity, to remain familiar figures in the art and literature of Late Antiquity and beyond. The twenty-one papers presented here cover personification in Greek literature, art and religion from its pre-Homeric origins to the Byzantine period. Classical Athens features prominently, but other areas of both mainland Greece and the Greek East are well represented. Issues which come under discussion include: problems of identification and definition; the question of gender; the status of personifications in relation to the gods; the significance of personification as a literary device; the uses and meanings of personification in different visual media; personification as a means of articulating place, time and worldly power. The papers reflect the enormous range of contexts in which personification occurs, indicating the ubiquity of the phenomenon in the ancient Greek world.

Worshipping Virtues

Worshipping Virtues
Author: Emma Stafford
Publisher:
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2000
Genre: Goddesses, Greek
ISBN:

Download Worshipping Virtues Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Polis and Personification in Classical Athenian Art

Polis and Personification in Classical Athenian Art
Author: Amy C. Smith
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2011-06-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004214526

Download Polis and Personification in Classical Athenian Art Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Ancient Greek artists pioneered in the allegorical use of personifications of political ideas, events, places, institutions, and peoples in visual arts. This book surveys and interprets these personifications within the intellectual and political climate of the golden age of Athens.

Rhetoric and Innovation in Hellenistic Art

Rhetoric and Innovation in Hellenistic Art
Author: Kristen Seaman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2020-04-16
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1108490913

Download Rhetoric and Innovation in Hellenistic Art Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Explores how rhetorical techniques helped to produce innovations in art of the Hellenistic courts at Pergamon and Alexandria.

Personifications in Greek Art

Personifications in Greek Art
Author: Harvey Alan Shapiro
Publisher:
Total Pages: 308
Release: 1993
Genre: Art, Greek
ISBN:

Download Personifications in Greek Art Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The Cambridge Guide to Homer

The Cambridge Guide to Homer
Author: Corinne Ondine Pache
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 974
Release: 2020-03-05
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1108663621

Download The Cambridge Guide to Homer Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

From its ancient incarnation as a song to recent translations in modern languages, Homeric epic remains an abiding source of inspiration for both scholars and artists that transcends temporal and linguistic boundaries. The Cambridge Guide to Homer examines the influence and meaning of Homeric poetry from its earliest form as ancient Greek song to its current status in world literature, presenting the information in a synthetic manner that allows the reader to gain an understanding of the different strands of Homeric studies. The volume is structured around three main themes: Homeric Song and Text; the Homeric World, and Homer in the World. Each section starts with a series of 'macropedia' essays arranged thematically that are accompanied by shorter complementary 'micropedia' articles. The Cambridge Guide to Homer thus traces the many routes taken by Homeric epic in the ancient world and its continuing relevance in different periods and cultures.

Personification and the Feminine in Roman Philosophy

Personification and the Feminine in Roman Philosophy
Author: Alex Dressler
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2016-08-03
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1316684083

Download Personification and the Feminine in Roman Philosophy Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

While the central ideal of Roman philosophy exemplified by Lucretius, Cicero and Seneca appears to be the masculine values of self-sufficiency and domination, this book argues, through close attention to metaphor and figures, that the Romans also recognized, as constitutive parts of human experience, what for them were feminine concepts such as embodiment, vulnerability and dependency. Expressed especially in the personification of grammatically feminine nouns such as Nature and Philosophy 'herself', the Roman's recognition of this private 'feminine' part of himself presents a contrast with his acknowledged, public self and challenges the common philosophical narrative of the emergence of subjectivity and individuality with modernity. To meet this challenge, Alex Dressler offers both theoretical exposition and case studies, developing robust typologies of personification and personhood that will be useable for a variety of subjects beyond classics, including rhetoric, comparative literature, gender studies, political theory and the history of ideas.