Personifications of the Iliad and the Odyssey in Hellenistic and Roman art

Two images of Homer are exhibited side by side at the British Museum. This chapter explores the main difference between the choice of modes in these two artworks—namely the presence of the personified text and how it constructs an image of authorship and reception. Personifications of the Iliad and the Odyssey are neither ubiquitous nor uniform, and so their presence in ancient culture presents some interesting questions. They appear in at least five ancient artworks from around the Mediterranean that range in date from the Hellenistic through Late Roman periods. The familial relationship between Homer and his poems in art, furthermore, is confirmed by a sculptural group from the Athenian Agora. Two statues traditionally attributed to this group were found in 1869 at the southwest corner of the Stoa of Attalos, and it is likely that the group originally stood in the Library of Pantainos

Ancient history · Art · Literature · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classics · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History

• Revue des actes de colloques et ouvrages collectifs

  Carole Bonnet, André Motte et al.•Kernos•2007

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