Exposed
The Greek and Roman Body - Shortlisted for the Anglo-Hellenic Runciman Award
Published on 15. September 2022
Book
Hardback
432 pages
978-1-78816-290-6 (ISBN)
Description
WINNER OF THE LONDON HELLENIC PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ANGLO-HELLENIC RUNCIMAN AWARD
A SUNDAY TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
A SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
'A gloriously intimate tour of the body in antiquity' Gavin Francis
'Vout tackles a huge range of ideas and subjects with irrepressible energy ... full of arresting, sometimes startling ideas and facts that topple the Greeks and Romans from their lofty, pristine, snow-white pedestals' Guardian
'A triumph ... an extraordinary book that stopped me in my tracks' Peter Frankopan
The Greek and Roman body is often seen as flawless - cast from life in buff bronze and white marble, to sit upon a pedestal. But this, of course, is a lie.
Here, classicist Caroline Vout reaches beyond texts and galleries to expose Greek and Roman bodies for what they truly were: anxious, ailing, imperfect, diverse, and responsible for a legacy as lasting as their statues. Taking us on a gruesome, thrilling journey, she taps into the questions that those in the Greek and Roman worlds asked about their bodies - where do we come from? What makes us different from gods and animals? What happens to our bodies, and the forces that govern them, when we die? Vout also reveals the surprising actions people often took to transform their bodies - from sophisticated surgery and contraception to body oils, cosmetics and early gym memberships.
You've seen the paintings, read the philosophers and heard the myths - now here's the classical body in all its flesh and blood glory.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ANGLO-HELLENIC RUNCIMAN AWARD
A SUNDAY TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
A SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
'A gloriously intimate tour of the body in antiquity' Gavin Francis
'Vout tackles a huge range of ideas and subjects with irrepressible energy ... full of arresting, sometimes startling ideas and facts that topple the Greeks and Romans from their lofty, pristine, snow-white pedestals' Guardian
'A triumph ... an extraordinary book that stopped me in my tracks' Peter Frankopan
The Greek and Roman body is often seen as flawless - cast from life in buff bronze and white marble, to sit upon a pedestal. But this, of course, is a lie.
Here, classicist Caroline Vout reaches beyond texts and galleries to expose Greek and Roman bodies for what they truly were: anxious, ailing, imperfect, diverse, and responsible for a legacy as lasting as their statues. Taking us on a gruesome, thrilling journey, she taps into the questions that those in the Greek and Roman worlds asked about their bodies - where do we come from? What makes us different from gods and animals? What happens to our bodies, and the forces that govern them, when we die? Vout also reveals the surprising actions people often took to transform their bodies - from sophisticated surgery and contraception to body oils, cosmetics and early gym memberships.
You've seen the paintings, read the philosophers and heard the myths - now here's the classical body in all its flesh and blood glory.
Reviews / Votes
Written with such depth and enthusiasm, Exposed has expanded my mind on the body in the Ancient World. An essential and hugely enjoyable read -- Katy Hessel, author * The Story of Art Without Men * This new perspective on Rome and Greece is gruesome, unsettling and fascinating -- 'Best Art Books of 2022' * The Times * Vout tackles a huge range of ideas and subjects with irrepressible energy ... full of arresting, sometimes startling ideas and facts that topple the Greeks and Romans from their lofty, pristine, snow-white pedestals * Guardian * The illustrations are superb throughout ... packed with fascinating facts and original insights * The Sunday Times * Spectacular ... highly stimulating ... it takes a book of ambitious scope like this to challenge preconceptions of what art actually is * Literary Review * A gloriously intimate tour of the body in antiquity, filled with unexpected digressions and surprising new perspectives. From Ovid to the Olympics, Sophocles to spiritual Viagra, Caroline Vout is a wonderful guide, wearing her erudition lightly and with a great sense of fun. -- Gavin Francis, bestselling author of Recovery and Adventures in Human Being An extraordinary book that stopped me in my tracks again and again. Filled with insights, surprises and asides that draw on a breath-taking array of sources from the distant past to the present day. A triumph from start to finish -- Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of The Silk Roads Vout sustains a fast-moving conversation with her readers. She uses an admirably wide range of texts, art and objects and shows that bodies came in many shapes, sizes and roles in antiquity too. Exposed helps us widen our minds when we turn to envisaging the ancient world -- Robin Lane Fox Caroline Vout takes the Greek and Roman body apart with impressive scholarship and a sublime sense of humour. In Exposed she goes well beyond our cliche view of the classical human form and reveals in unflinching detail what it was really like for the Greeks and Romans to inhabit their mortal coils and by extension the world about them. Of course in doing so she unavoidably directs us to contemplate the same. So if you have a body you should definitely read this. Oh and did I mention it made me laugh out loud too?" -- Jimmy MulvilleMore details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Profile Books Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
full colour integrated throughout
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
840 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78816-290-6 (9781788162906)
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.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2022
Wellcome Collection
€18.49
Available for download
Person
Caroline (Carrie) Vout is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge. She is also Director of Cambridge's Museum of Classical Archaeology and has curated exhibitions at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds. Carrie has appeared on Woman's Hour and In Our Time, and has contributed pieces to magazines such as Apollo, Minerva, History Today, and to the Times Literary Supplement and the Observer. In 2012 and 2013, she chaired the judging panel of the John D. Criticos Prize, and from 2019 to 2024 holds the Byvanck Chair at Leiden University. She has given public lectures across the world, and is regularly invited to talk to schools.