Sight and The Ancient Senses

337 Pages·2016·10.27 MB·English

by  Michael Squire

Sight and the ancient SenSeS
What did ancient greeks and Romans “see” when they saw? how did graeco-
Roman theories of seeing shape classical art, literature and philosophy? and how
does such thinking relate to the “senses in antiquity”, as well as to more modern
western theoretical frameworks?
Sight and the Ancient Senses examines the sense that greek and Roman antiquity
theorized above all others. approaching vision from a range of different thematic
angles, the book provides the first thorough introduction to concepts of “seeing” in
ancient philosophy, science, literature, rhetoric and art. at the same time, this
anthology of specially commissioned chapters relates ideas about sight to ancient
debates about other modes of sensory perception.
the volume brings together a range of interdisciplinary perspectives to deliver a
broad and balanced coverage of its subject. contributors explore the cultural, social
and intellectual backdrops that gave rise to ancient theories of seeing, from archaic
greece through to the advent of christianity in late antiquity. the book also reaches
beyond its graeco-Roman framework, demonstrating how ancient ideas have influ-
enced the longue durée of western sensory thinking. Richly illustrated throughout,
including a section of colour plates, Sight and the Ancient Senses will be an invalu-
able resource for students and scholars alike – among classicists, as well as within
the emerging field of sensory history.
Michael Squire is Reader in classical art at King’s college London, and has held
research fellowships at Berlin, cambridge, cologne, harvard, Munich and Stanford.
Previous books include Image and Text in Graeco-Roman Antiquity (2009), The Art
of the Body: Antiquity and its Legacy (2011) and The Iliad in a Nutshell: Visualizing
Epic on the Tabulae Iliacae (2011).
the SenSeS in antiquity
Series editors: Mark Bradley, university of nottingham, and
Shane Butler, Johns hopkins university
Like us, ancient greeks and Romans came to know and understand their world
through their senses. yet it has long been recognized that the world the ancients
perceived, and the senses through which they channelled this information, could
operate differently from the patterns and processes of perception in the modern
world. this series explores the relationship between perception, knowledge and
understanding in the literature, philosophy, history, language and culture of
ancient greece and Rome.
Published
Synesthesia and the Ancient Senses
edited by Shane Butler and alex Purves
Smell and the Ancient Senses
edited by Mark Bradley
Sight and the Ancient Senses
edited by Michael Squire
Forthcoming
Sound and the Ancient Senses
Taste and the Ancient Senses
Touch and the Ancient Senses
S i g h t a n d t h e
an c i e n t S e nSeS
Edited by
Michael Squire
First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, abingdon, Oxon OX14 4Rn
and by Routledge
711 third avenue, new york, ny 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Michael Squire for selection and editorial matter; individual contributions, the contributors
the right of Michael Squire to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for
their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the copyright,
designs and Patents act 1988.
all rights reserved. no part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any
electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-i n-Publication Data
a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
names: Squire, Michael.title: Sight and the ancient senses / edited by Michael Squire.
description: Milton Park, abingdon, Oxon : Routledge, 2016. | Series: the senses in antiquity | includes
bibliographical references and index.
identifiers: Lccn 2015023167| iSBn 9781844658657 (hardback : alkaline paper) |
iSBn 9781844658664 (paperback : alkaline paper) | iSBn 9781315719238 (e-book)
Subjects: LcSh: civilization, classical. | Vision–Social aspects–greece–history–to 1500. | Vision–Social
aspects–Rome–history. | Visual perception–Social aspects–greece–history–to 1500. | Visual perception–
Social aspects–Rome–history–to 1500. | Senses and sensation–Social aspects–greece–history–to 1500. |
Senses and sensation–Social aspects–Rome–history.
classification: Lcc de60 .S54 2016 | ddc 152.140938–dc23
Lc record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015023167
iSBn: 978-1-84465-865-7 (hbk)
iSBn: 978-1-84465-866-4 (pbk)
iSBn: 978-1-315-71923-8 (ebk)
typeset in Sabon
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, tyne and Wear
cOntentS
List of illustations vii
List of contributors xi
Acknowledgements xiii
introductory reflections: making sense of ancient sight 1
MichaeL SquiRe
1 Sight and the Presocratics: approaches to visual perception in
early greek philosophy 36
KeLLi RudOLPh
2 Sight and the philosophy of vision in classical greece:
democritus, Plato and aristotle 54
andRea nightingaLe
3 Sight and the perspectives of mathematics: the limits of ancient
optics 68
ReVieL netz & MichaeL SquiRe
4 Sight and reflexivity: theorizing vision in greek vase- painting 85
JOnaS gRethLein
5 Sight and painting: optical theory and pictorial poetics in
classical greek art 107
JeReMy tanneR
6 Sight and light: reified gazes and looking artefacts in the greek
cultural imagination 123
Ruth BieLFeLdt
7 Sight and death: seeing the dead through ancient eyes 143
SuSanne tuRneR
v
cOntentS
8 Sight and the gods: on the desire to see naked nymphs 161
VeRity PLatt
9 Sight and memory: the visual art of Roman mnemonics 180
JaŚ eLSneR & MichaeL SquiRe
10 Sight and insight: theorizing vision, emotion and imagination in
ancient rhetoric 205
Ruth WeBB
11 Sight and christianity: early christian attitudes to seeing 220
Jane heath
12 Sight and blindness: the mask of thamyris 237
LyndSay cOO
13 Sight in retrospective: the afterlife of ancient optics 249
a. MaRK SMith
Bibliography 263
Index 306
Plates
vi
iLLuStRatiOnS
Plates
1 Fragment of an apulian krater from tarentum, ca. 360–350 bce
2 Reconstruction drawing of the same fragment
3 detail of a funerary shrine on an apulian volute- krater by the helm
Painter, last quarter of the fourth century bce
4 Painted wooden votive tablet from Pitsa, sixth century bce
5 Watercolour reconstruction of the great tomb at Lefkadia, late fourth
century bce
6 Painted metopes depicting a centauromachy from the great tomb
at Lefkadia
7 centauromachy metope from the great tomb at Lefkadia
8 Warrior: detail of the fresco paintings from the great tomb at
Lefkadia
9 hermes: detail of the fresco paintings from the great tomb at
Lefkadia
10 aeacus: detail of the fresco paintings from the great tomb at Lefkadia
11 Rhadamanthus: detail of the fresco paintings from the great tomb at
Lefkadia
Figures
i.1 attic red- figure alabastron showing a seated woman looking at her
reflection in a mirror, ca. 500 bce 6
i.2 detail of a “third Style” wall-p ainting of narcissus staring at his
reflection, from the north wall of cubiculum 6 in the casa di Marco
Lucrezio Fronto (Pompeii V.4,a) 7
i.3 Marble funerary stele of Orchomenos, signed by “alxenor of
naxos”, early fifth century bce 11
i.4 Painted marble “eye” from the prow of an athenian trireme,
discovered in the Piraeus’ zea harbour, probably late fifth
century bce 20
i.5 Votive offering dedicated to asclepius by Praxias (on behalf of
his wife), from the south slope of the acropolis in athens,
ca. 350 bce 21
vii
iLLuStRatiOnS
i.6 Floor mosaic of an eye under attack by dwarfs and animals, from the
“house of the evil eye” outside antioch, second century ce 22
i.7 “archinos” marble relief from the sanctuary of amphiaraos at
Oropos in attica, first half of the fourth century 23
i.8 Pair of eyes (made from bronze, marble, frit, quartz and obsidian) for
inserting into a bronze statue, probably fifth century bce 24
i.9 chian “Wild goat Style” phallus cup (with added plaster), with a
pair of eyes painted on the glans, last quarter of the seventh century
bce 27
i.10 Floor mosaic from the threshold of the Basilica hilariana on Rome’s
caelian hill, probably second century ce: an eye is stabbed by a
spear, surrounded by a group of animal attackers 29
i.11 detail of an incantation from a Roman- egyptian “magical papyrus”
in the British Library, fourth century ce 30
3.1 Modern reconstruction diagram based on chapter 21 of euclid’s
Optics 75
4.1 Jean-Baptiste-Siméon chardin, Soap Bubbles, 1733–4 86
4.2 attic black- figure olpē by the amasis Painter, ca. 550–500 bce 87
4.3 attic red- figure “eye- cup” (type a) by the hischylus Potter,
ca. 525 bce 88
4.4 detail of a Protoattic black-fi gure amphora by the Polyphemus
Painter, ca. 670–660 bce 91
4.5 Protoattic black- figure amphora by the Polyphemus Painter, ca.
670–660 bce 92
4.6 attic black- figure skyphos by the theseus Painter, ca. 525–475 bce 95
4.7 Pseudo- chalcidian black-fi gure amphora, ca. 520 bce 96
4.8 South italian bell- krater by the tarporley Painter, ca. 400–385 bce 98
4.9 apulian red-fi gure pelikē by the tarporley Painter, ca. 380–370 bce 99
4.10 attic red- figure calyx- krater by euphronios, ca. 525–475 bce 101
4.11 attic black- figure “eye- cup” (type a) by the Lysippides Painter,
ca. 525 bce 103
4.12 attic black- figure “eye- cup” (type a) by the cambridge Painter,
ca. 520 bce 105
6.1 attic red- figure eye-c up attributed to the nikosthenes Painter,
ca. 520–510 bce 127
6.2 attic wheel- made clay lamp, ca. 475–25 bce 132
6.3 attic wheel- made clay lamp with two nozzles, ca. 400–375 bce 133
6.4 attic black- figure neck- amphora, showing atlas (?) carrying the
universe, ca. 510–500 bce 134
6.5 attic white- ground bobbin from the athenian agora showing helios
with chariot, ca. 480–470 bce 135
6.6 attic red- figure pyxis (“lid”), showing either helios and Selene or
nyx and eos, ca. 430 bce 136
6.7 attic red- figure pyxis, ca. 430 bce (as seen from the side) 137
6.8 attic red- figure pyxis, ca. 430 bce (bottom) 137
6.9 attic black- figure eye- cup attributed to the nikosthenes Painter,
ca. 520 bce 138
viii
iLLuStRatiOnS
6.10 interior tondo of the same attic black-fi gure eye- cup attributed to the
nikosthenes Painter, ca. 520 bce 138
6.11 attic red- figure bell- krater attributed to the dinos Painter, showing
eros depilating a woman with a lamp, ca. 430–420 bce 141
7.1 Black- figure attic funerary pinax from cape Kolias, attributed to the
Sappho Painter, ca. 500 bce 147
7.2 Marble funerary stele from attica, ca. 375–350 bce 152
7.3 Marble “ilissos stele” from athens, ca. 350–330 bce 153
7.4 “Badminton sarcophagus” with scene of dionysus and the Seasons,
ca. 260–270 ce 155
7.5 Plaster cast of the limestone pediment with Medusa, Pegasus and
chrysaor from the temple of artemis on corfu, ca. 580 bce 158
7.6 Wall- painting showing Perseus and andromeda with the head of
Medusa, from the casa del Vaticinio di cassandra (Pompeii,
Vi.10.2), late first century bce 159
8.1 inscription from aquae Flavianae, algeria, second century ce 162
8.2 Front of a marble sarcophagus depicting hylas and the nymphs,
installed in Rome’s Palazzo Mattei, early third century ce 166
8.3 Votive altar from the sanctuary of asclepius at Pergamon, second
century ce (in situ). the translated inscription reads “to taras:
g[aius] Julius nabus, Senator, dedicated this altar according to a
vision seen in a dream” 174
8.4 Mosaic depicting diana bathing with her nymphs, from the house of
Venus at Volubilis in Morocco (in situ), early third century ce 176
8.5 Votive relief dedicated by “archandros to the nymphs [and Pan]”:
from the sanctuary of asclepius at athens, ca. 425–400 bce 178
8.6 Votive stele of the nymphs from arcadia, inscribed Nymphān
(“Of the nymphs”), ca. 300 bce. tegea 178
9.1 early hadrianic marble funerary altar of t. Statilius aper, ca. 120 ce 184
9.2 “Fourth Style” panel- painting from the north wall of triclinium 38 in
the casa dei dioscuri (Pompeii Vi.9.6,7 = Baldassare 1993: 894, no. 65) 194
9.3 nineteenth- century reproduction drawing of a “Fourth Style” panel-
painting from the west wall of triclinium 38 in the casa dei dioscuri
(Pompeii Vi.9.6,7 = Baldassare 1993: 896, no. 68) 195
9.4 nineteenth- century reproduction drawing of a “Fourth Style” panel-
painting from the east wall of triclinium 49 in the casa dei dioscuri
(Pompeii Vi.9.6,7 = Baldassare 1993: 951, no. 177) 196
9.5 nineteenth- century reproduction drawing of a “Fourth Style” panel-
painting from the south wall of triclinium 49 in the casa dei dioscuri
(Pompeii Vi.9.6,7 = Baldassare 1993: 952, no. 179) 197
9.6 nineteenth- century reproduction drawing of a “Fourth Style” panel-
painting from the north wall of oecus 17 in the casa dei capitelli
colorati (Pompeii Vii.4.31,51 = Baldassare 1996: 1017, no. 27) 198
9.7 “Fourth Style” panel-p ainting from the west wall of oecus 17, casa
dei capitelli colorati (Pompeii Vii.4.31,51 = Baldassare 1996: 1020,
no. 30) 199
ix