Book Description

In this compelling work Richard Hamilton employs a revolutionary methodology to investigate a crucial area of Greek religion. The Athenian spring festival Anthesteria, held in honor of the god Dionysos, arguably incorporated thee most complicated rituals recorded for Classical Athens. The central second day of the festival, called Choes, provides a rare opportunity to study the relationship between literary and visual evidence. Not only do we possess a wide variety of written testimonia, there also survive large quantities of the small clay pots that gave the day its name. Choes and Anthesteria begins by offering translations of the testimonia for the Anthesteria, together with analyses of difficult literary and philological points. Hamilton then turns to the visual evidence. The repetitive motifs seen on the choes make possible the ensuing statistical consideration of the vases' evidence. By documenting the independent and joint occurrences of iconographical images that appear in the numerous plates, the author reveals that many aspects of the traditional view of this major festival require clarification or thorough revision. Indeed, he shows that the kinds of evidence traditionally deployed in defense of scholarly views instead need very careful treatment and discrimination. Choes and Anthesteria will find its audience among those interested in Greek literature and society, religious ritual and artistic iconography. The author sheds a bright light upon a critical phase of Athenian life, and his unusual methodological approach reveals a new reading of this famous civic festival.