
Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece
Judith M. Barringer(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 21. July 2008
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-521-64134-0 (ISBN)
Description
What do Greek myths mean and how was meaning created for the ancient viewer? In Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece, Judith Barringer considers the use of myth on monuments at several key sites - Olympia, Athens, Delphi, and Trysa - showing that myth was neither randomly selected nor purely decorative. The mythic scenes on these monuments had meaning, the interpretation of which depends on context. Barringer explains how the same myth can possess different meanings and how, in a monumental context, the mythological image relates to the site and often to other monuments surrounding it, which redouble, resonate, or create variation on a theme. The architectural sculpture examined here is discussed in a series of five case studies, which are chronologically arranged and offer a range of physical settings, historical and social circumstances, and interpretive problems. Providing new interpretations of familiar monuments, this volume also offers a comprehensive way of seeing and understanding Greek art and culture as an integrated whole.
Reviews / Votes
'This is a welcome addition to the fast-growing literature on the meaning of myth in ancient Greek visual culture.' American Journal of Archaeology 'Barringer's book gives a comprehensive introduction to the discourse of myth as it has been seen and understood within the study of Greek art ... Barringer's book unfolds unexpected and diverse perspectives on the complex reaction between religion, ritual, myth and art.' ArctosMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
159 Halftones, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 260 mm
Width: 183 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
734 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-64134-0 (9780521641340)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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Judith M. Barringer
Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece
Book
07/2008
Cambridge University Press
€44.10
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Person
Judith M. Barringer is Professor of Greek Art and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh. The author of The Hunt in Ancient Greece and Divine Escorts: Nereids in Archaic and Classical Greek Art, she has received awards and fellowships such as the National Endowment for the Humanities at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and the British Academy Larger Research Grant, as well as awards from the Loeb Classical Library Foundation and the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland.
Content
1. The temple of Zeus at Olympia, heroic models, and the Panhellenic sanctuary; 2. The Athenian Akropolis, female power, and state religion; 3. Making heroes in Athenian agora; 4. Myth and religion at Delphi; 5. The cult of the individual and the realm of the dead.