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UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Cross-Language UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Cross-Language Communication in Heliodorus' Aethiopica A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Classics by Robert William Groves IV 2012 © Copyright by Robert William Groves IV 2012 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Cross-Language Communication in Heliodorus' Aethiopica by Robert William Groves IV Doctor of Philosophy in Classics University of California, Los Angeles Professor David L. Blank, Chair This dissertation analyzes why Heliodorus pays so much attention to foreign languages in the Aethiopica and how his description of these linguistic phenomena colors the work. It demonstrates that Heliodorus is very careful to attribute linguistic abilities to characters in a sensible way that is in line with real-world expectations. Characters never speak a mutual language merely because it would be convenient for the author if they could. Language also helps aid the author's characterization. Heliodorus draws upon long-standing cultural attitudes towards multilingual individuals to make his religious priests more authoritative and trustworthy and his conniving merchants even less so. Female characters with multiple languages are seen as sexually suspect, while Charikleia, the novel's heroine, preserves both her chastity and her status as a monolingual Greek speaker. Nonverbal communication is as problematic to interpret as the dreams and oracles in the novel, but spoken language doesn't present any hermeneutic problems; speech is either understood or not understood, but never misunderstood. The final book of the novel demonstrates both the limits of speech and the power of the human voice to transcend ii spoken language. Heliodorus' treatment of language in the novel is, as other scholars have suggested, both based on a desire for realism and an emphasis on interpretive processes, but this is not the whole story. The attribution of specific linguistic abilities to specific characters also communicates to the reader a wealth of information about those characters. Because this information is derived from the reader's expectations about language in the real world, an analysis of linguistic phenomena in the novel opens up two kinds of information. Our understanding of the novel will be better if we take into account the author's treatment of language, and the novel itself may present tantalizing glimpses into the attitudes toward language present in the culture of the author and the novel's first readers. iii The dissertation of Robert William Groves is approved. Jacco Dielemann Mario Telò Brent Vine David L. Blank, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2012 iv Dedicated to My great-grandmother and academic muse, Martha Rosner v Table of Contents Introduction: Heliodorus and his Worlds....................................................................................1 On the Author and his Text.........................................................................................................3 Scholarly Approaches to Languages in Heliodorus ...................................................................9 Conspectus................................................................................................................................19 Polyglossia................................................................................................................................21 Chapter 1: The Languages of Heliodorus' Characters.............................................................23 Charikleia, the Monolingual Heroine........................................................................................29 Theagenes, the Unexpected Bilingual.......................................................................................31 Egyptian Priests: Thyamis and Kalasiris...................................................................................35 Greeks Living in Egypt: Knemon and Nausikles......................................................................40 Foreign Women of Memphis: Kybele and Arsake....................................................................42 The Ethiopians: Hydaspes, Persinna, and Sisimithres..............................................................49 The Unusual Case of the Eunuch Bagoas.................................................................................54 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................56 Chapter 2: Trust, Deceit, and Δίγλωσσοι...................................................................................59 Trust and Deceit in the Aethiopica............................................................................................65 Religious and Trustworthy Bilinguals.......................................................................................67 Untrustworthy and Deceitful Bilinguals...................................................................................74 Kalasiris.....................................................................................................................................79 Chapter 3: Linguistic Chastity...................................................................................................86 Chastity in the Ancient Novel and in Heliodorus......................................................................87 Arsake ......................................................................................................................................92 Kybele.....................................................................................................................................100 Persinna...................................................................................................................................103 Charikleia................................................................................................................................109 Language and Education in the Roman Empire......................................................................115 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................120 Chapter 4: Nonverbal Communication in the Aethiopica......................................................125 Introduction.............................................................................................................................125 Charikleia and the Bandits on the Beach................................................................................129 Nonverbal Communication with Corpses...............................................................................141 Gestures at the Persian Court..................................................................................................145 Gestures in War.......................................................................................................................154 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................158 Chapter 5: Interpreting Ethiopia and Heliodorus' Languages.............................................160 The Crowd Speaks and Transcends Speech............................................................................161 The Uses of Languages...........................................................................................................172 The Land of Universal Translatability....................................................................................178 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................184 Conclusion: ................................................................................................................................187 Appendix 1: The Semantic Evolution of Δίγλωσσος...............................................................191 Appendix 2: A Survey of Nonverbal Behavior in the Aethiopica..........................................198 Bibliography...............................................................................................................................205 vi Acknowledgments I cannot sufficiently thank the members of my dissertation committee, David Blank, Mario Telò, Jacco Dieleman, and Brent Vine for their encouragement, helpful suggestions and guidance. They have been as stern, demanding, helpful and kind as I needed them to be and, just as importantly, have provided models of both brilliant scholarship and humanity. I also owe a special debt to Sarah Morris, in whose seminar I unwittingly stumbled upon Heliodorus, and who thereby set this dissertation in motion. This dissertation has benefited greatly from the advice and critiques offered by my colleagues and friends, most particularly Michael Brumbaugh, Craig Russell, Emily Rush, Charlie Stein, and Brian Walters as well as the interdisciplinary dissertation writing group of David Hull, Julie Romain, and Sara Wolf. Without the support and encouragement of Hector Reyes, both the highs and lows of the writing process would have been far less pleasant. Finally, this dissertation stems from a curiosity and love of learning instilled by my parents over 30 years ago, and nurtured ever since; thanks, Mom and Dad! vii VITA 2002 B. S., Classics and Classical Humanities University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 2002-2004 English Instructor, Osaka, Japan 2004-2005
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