Funerary Epigrams of Ancient Greece: Reflections on Literature, Society and Religion

225 Pages·2019·2.738 MB·English

by  Marta González González

Funerary Epigrams of Ancient Greece
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Funerary Epigrams of
Ancient Greece
Refl ections on Literature, Society
and Religion
Marta Gonz á lez Gonz á lez
iii
BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
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BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC and the Diana logo are trademarks of
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in Great Britain 2019
Copyright © Marta Gonzá lez Gonzá lez, 2019
Marta Gonz á lez Gonzá lez has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as Author of this work.
For legal purposes the Acknowledgements on p. ix constitute an extension of this
copyright page.
Cover design: Terry Woodley
Cover image: Funerary stele of Democleides (fourth century B C) . PRISMA ARCHIVO /
Alamy Stock Photo
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accept no responsibility for any such changes.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-Publication Data
Names: González González, Marta, author.
Title: Funerary epigrams of ancient Greece : refl ections on literature, society and
religion / by Marta González González.
Description: London, UK ; New York, NY : Bloomsbury Academic, 2019. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2018040921| ISBN 9781350062429 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781350062436 (ePDF) | ISBN 9781350062443 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Epigrams, Greek—History and criticism. | Funeral rites and
ceremonies—Greece.
Classifi cation: LCC PA3123 .G66 2019 | DDC 888/.0102—dc23 LC record
available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018040921
ISBN: HB: 978-1-3500-6242-9
ePDF: 978-1-3500-6243-6
eBook: 978-1-3500-6244-3
Typeset by Refi neCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk
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iv
To my father,
Fausto Gonz á lez Velasco (1927–2014),
who taught all three of us not to use words to hurt
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Contents
List of fi gures viii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
1 Th e Funerary Landscape: A Refl ection of the World of the Living 9
2 Th e Literary Form: Tears of Simonides . . . and of Pindar 25
3 Phrasikleia, Forever a Maiden . Kroisos, W hom Raging Ares Destroyed 37
4 How to Deprive the Year of Its Spring 57
5 Immortal Remembrance of Friends 77
6 Wives and Th eir Masters 93
7 Powerful Enemies: Childbirth, the Sea 113
8 Rewards for Piety . . . Next to Persephone 129
Conclusions 147
Notes 151
Bibliography 189
Index of Inscriptions and Table of Concordances 205
Index 209
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Figures
1.1 Grave stele of Aristion, c . 510 bc , found in Velanideza, Attica.
National Archaeological Museum of Athens: 29 © Getty Images 17
1.2 Fragment of a funerary stele depicting a child, c . 530 bc ,
Anavyssos, Attica. National Archaeological Museum of
Athens: 4472 © Getty Images 18
1.3 Grave stele of Ampharete, c . 430–420 bc , found in the Kerameikos.
Museum of the Kerameikos: P695 © Getty Images 19
1.4 Grave stele of a little girl, c . 450 bc . Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York: 27.45 © Getty Images 20
3.1 Th e Phrasikleia kore , c . 540 bc , Attica. National Archaeological
Museum of Athens: 4889 © Getty Images 43
3.2 Th e Kroisos k ouros , c . 540 bc , Attica. National Archaeological
Museum of Athens: 3851 © Getty Images 46
3.3 Marble stele of a youth and a little girl, c . 540–530 b c , Attica.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: 11.185 © Getty Images 50
5.1 Th e stele of Pharsalus, c . 470–460 bc , Th essaly. Louvre
Museum: 701 © Bridgeman Images 85
5.2 Grave stele of Mnesitheus, c . 520–510 b c , Boeotia.
Archaeological Museum of Th ebes: 28200. Drawing by
Laura Gonz á lez Prieto 89
7.1 Grave stele of Democlides, early fourth century bc , Attica,
Archaeological Museum of Athens: 752 © Getty Images 122
8.1 Gold lamella from the Necropolis of Hipponion, c . 400 bc .
Archaeological Museum of Vibo Valentia © Getty Images 138
viii
Acknowledgements
I would like to begin this volume by expressing my gratitude to some scholars
who have generously devoted their time to reading some or all of these pages,
have made suggestions and comments that have improved this book immensely,
and most particularly, have thus demonstrated their interest in my work and
allowed me to participate in an academic dialogue in which, for obvious reasons,
I have always been one who has learnt and benefi tted. I am fi rst and most
especially grateful for the help of Fritz Graf, Jan Bremmer and David Konstan.
Other colleagues have allowed me to present some of the arguments that appear
in this book at their universities, including Maria Cannata (University of
Messina), Lucio Ceccarelli (University of L’Aquila), Luisa de Nazar é Ferreira
(University of Coimbra), and Nuno Simô e s (University of Lisbon). Anonymous
reviewers for Bloomsbury Publishing were very helpful, and I appreciate their
valuable advice.
I also thank Alice Wright and Emma Payne at Bloomsbury Academic for the
enthusiasm and enormous kindness with which they welcomed this book
proposal.
Lastly, I am grateful to Nancy Clarneau for the patience she has shown when
translating these pages.
Marta Gonz á lez Gonz á lez
May 2018
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