The Iconography of the Athenian Hero in Late Archaic Greek Vase-Painting
The Iconography of the Athenian Hero in Late Archaic Greek Vase-Painting Elizabeth Anne Bartlett Tucson, Arizona Bachelor of Art, Scripps College, 2006 Master of Art, University of Arizona, 2008 A Dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy McIntire Department of Art University of Virginia May 2015 ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ –ABSTRACT– This study questions how Athenian vase-painters represented heroic figures during the late sixth and early fifth centuries B.C. – specifically from the death of Peisistratos in 528 B.C. to the return of Theseus' bones to Athens in 475/4 B.C. The study focuses on three specific Attic cult heroes with a strong presence both in the Greek world and on Athenian vases: Herakles, Theseus, and Ajax. Although individual studies have been published regarding various aspects of these three heroes, such as subject matter, cult worship, literary presence, and social history, the current one departs from them by categorizing, comparing, and contrasting the different portrayals of the three chosen heroes. Using Athenian vases as the primary form of evidence, the current study endeavors to uncover how individual iconography can – or cannot – identify the heroic figure. By using an iconographic approach of looking at attributes, dress, gestures, poses, and composition, a more complete picture of the image of the hero may be understood. Evidence of both the cult of, and importance of, the Athenian hero is stressed both in ancient texts and through archaeological evidence, thus supplemental material is taken into consideration. Illustrations of Greek heroes can be found on a variety of vase shapes of various techniques, and the accompanying catalogue includes almost 300 examples.
[Show full text]