Description
Book SynopsisThis synthesis of Archaic and Classical Greek portraiture surveys the origins and development of portrait sculpture at major sites including Olympia, Delphi and the Athenian Acropolis. Portraits are discussed in relation to historical events including the Persian Wars and canonical texts such as Herodotus' Histories.
Trade Review'The first four chapters of this excellent scholarly study focus primarily on Greek portrait images, their origins, meaning, and various contexts from the Archaic to the late classical periods (sixth–fourth centuries BCE). The last chapter deals with the Hellenistic period down to the Roman conquest of Greece, a time when new portraits of contemporary Greeks were set up in various locations, and a number of old Greek sculptural images were removed to Italy by the Romans, or were reused in Greece by local authorities to represent Roman personages (especially prominent military men and statesmen) by providing them with new identifying inscriptions on their bases. Throughout the book Keesling makes excellent use of ancient primary sources, including dedicatory inscriptions and their significance for understanding the social, political, and religious contexts in which these images were set up. Two appendixes list, and provide pertinent information about, known portrait statues set up (c. 600–300 BCE) at the religious sanctuaries of Olympia and Delphi.' Choice
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Why portraits?; Part I. Portraits among Heroes and Gods: 1. From votive statues to honorific portraits; 2. Arete, heroism, and divine choice in early Greek portraiture; 3. Portraits in Greek sanctuaries; Part II. Documenting Archaic and Classical Greek History: 4. Retrospective portraits as historical documents; 5. Early Greek portraits under Roman rule: removal, renewal, reuse, and reinscription; Conclusion: The limits of representation.
