Thesis (doctoral)--Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin, 1915. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references and index.

No description available.

Greek literature is infamous for its fondness of narrating in horrific detail the violent plots of man versus man, man versus beast, and even man versus god, encompassing conflicts that range from individual vendettas to large-scale warfare. The extant stories of Greek epic and drama preserve merely a snippet of the ancient audience’s fascination with violence in all its forms. Depicted among these bloody confrontations is a subject that seems taboo even to modern viewers—kin murders. Epic conceals the most brutal violations of kinship ties, preferring a more nuanced approach to such horrors. Tragedy, in contrast, relishes translating these particular crimes onto the public stage. However, in dramatic performance the violent acts themselves are only either described in words or alluded to; they are always completed off-stage, and audience members must rely on their imaginations to recreate the most offensive parts of an episode. There is a similar hesitation in visualizing these gruesome stories of parents slaying children, wives murdering husbands, brothers turning against each other, or sons slaughtering mothers in Greek art. In contrast, there are numerous portrayals of lethal violence in other contexts that are unabashedly explicit and shockingly gory. For example, images of quarrels between political rivals or cultural others enjoyed popularity from the earliest periods of Greek art. But depictions of sanctioned violence in the military sphere occupy a different realm than the rare illustrations of the most sinister of transgressions—the murder of one’s own kin. The tantalizing few examples of this exceptional category of violence prompt further study, yet there has never been a comprehensive investigation on portrayals of intrafamilial murder in in the visual repertoire. In Kindred Killers: Intrafamilial Murders in Archaic and Classical Greek Art, I bring together and examine for the first time the evidence for murder against kin in Greek art from the seventh to the fourth centuries BCE. I assemble a catalog of 202 images related to four types of intrafamilial murder within the nuclear family unit: filicide, spousal homicide, parricide, and fratricide. Geographically, the material spans from mainland Greece, including Attica, Corinth, and the Peloponnese, to East Greece, and to South Italy and Sicily; the objects range from pottery, shield bands, seals, and other representatives of the so-called minor arts, to statue groups, temple architecture, and lost monumental wall paintings. I investigate the iconographic patterns of the four typologies, tracing their changes through time, medium, and area of production, while also considering factors, such as manner, intent, and motivation, in order to establish a visual language for “intrafamilial murder.” I frame the images within broader, shifting cultural notions of violence and explore how the various scenes of kinship murder challenge and solidify social norms, negotiate interpersonal power, and express the tensions brought about by ever-changing family dynamics.

Figures who turn their heads frontally and gaze outwards from Archaic Greek artworks look back at the viewer and destabilize the typical relationship between viewing subject and viewed object. These frontal characters were especially effective for viewers who encountered them during the Archaic period, when the profile perspective was conventional and vision was understood to be a tactile sense. Frontal-facing figures have often been interpreted as carrying protective power or having the ability to threaten the viewer with their attention. While some frontal figures are intimidating, frontality and the represented gazes it engenders do not provoke a single, universal reaction. Instead, these images’ interactions with ancient viewers were shaped by the type of frontal figure represented, the figure’s representational context, and the real context in which the figure was originally encountered. This dissertation takes a contextual approach to the study of Archaic frontal figures to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of their functions and effects. The frontal figures that are represented on vases made between 700 and 480 BCE are comprehensively examined. Frontal-facing characters that decorated temples in the same period are also considered. By inspecting each individual type of frontal figure in turn, we can better comprehend the differing responses the figures elicit, which include humor and horror in addition to terror. This project also examines how frontality was employed by innovative vase painters to create images that directly engage viewers and shape their viewing experiences. While a few figures were conventionally frontal in the Archaic period, the majority were represented frontally only by the most experimental artisans who were eager to surprise their viewers and distinguish their work from that of their colleagues. This investigation of Archaic frontality in multiple media demonstrates the power of the perspective in its original context and the inventiveness of the craftsmen who used it.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Universität Zürich, 1978. / Includes indexes and bibliographical references.

This dissertation discusses logistical aspects of the Persians invasion of Greece; the Athenian need for timber for building warships; supply problems in their assault on Syracuse; and the march of Alexander's army from Macedonia into Asia. The amount of cereals needed by the Persian and Greek armies and navies is calculated from modern nutritional data and an estimate of the numbers of combatants. The location and size of the Persian food dumps; the excavation of the Athos canal; and the ships and materials needed to build the bridges of boats are considered. The Athenian need for ship-timber led to the costly occupation of Amphipolis. An assured supply of cereals was one motive for the disastrous Sicilian Expedition. The Athenian fleet was an inefficient long-range support for an army which had to protect its non-combatant sailors. This was realised by Alexander the Great, who crossed the Hellespont without naval support. / Classics and Modern European Languages / M.A. (Classics)

This dissertation discusses logistical aspects of the Persians invasion of Greece; the Athenian need for timber for building warships; supply problems in their assault on Syracuse; and the march of Alexander's army from Macedonia into Asia. The amount of cereals needed by the Persian and Greek armies and navies is calculated from modern nutritional data and an estimate of the numbers of combatants. The location and size of the Persian food dumps; the excavation of the Athos canal; and the ships and materials needed to build the bridges of boats are considered. The Athenian need for ship-timber led to the costly occupation of Amphipolis. An assured supply of cereals was one motive for the disastrous Sicilian Expedition. The Athenian fleet was an inefficient long-range support for an army which had to protect its non-combatant sailors. This was realised by Alexander the Great, who crossed the Hellespont without naval support. / Classics and Modern European Languages / M.A. (Classics)