8/13/2019 book rev. ATHANASSAKI

1/4

1

Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010.09.21

Lucia Athanassaki, : . (Ch!"# $%!&!'")%* "+

,h%-! /+-%)% - 0h% !)h"-) "+ 1"!#2 C#"**-)"# $%!-+*3. Herakleio:

Panepistemiakes Ekdoseis Kretes, 2009. Pp. 38. !"#$ 9%89&02'2923.

(22.00 )p*+.

e-ieed */ Katerina Ladianou, ni-ersit/ o1 Patras )kladianoumail.com+

[Table of Contents is listed at the end of the review.]

This welcome addition to the seriesNew approaches to the ancient worldpublished by Crete

University Press, illustrates how contemporary methods continue to shed light on ancient tets. The

four chapters that constitute the main body of the boo! are framed by an "ntroduction and

Conclusion. The boo! is rounded off by a list of #bbreviations, an etensive multilingual

$ibliography, a %igure Plate and indices of names and ancient sources.

"n an etensive "ntroduction, including a short catalogue of the ma&or choral poets and an

#leandrian list of the choral genres, #thanassa!i stresses the importance of performance in the

study of choral lyric, a path she pursues throughout the boo!. 'he presents the most up(to(date

interpretative !eys for reading choral songs, with ample reference to modern secondarybibliography and ancient authors regarding performance. #fter listing many issues that have

troubled scholars )the boundary between monodic and choral performance* the identity of the

spea!ing +"* the ritual setting of such performances-, she clearly establishes her own place within

past and current scholarship and sets out her research parameters, which include not only actual

choral songs but also different genres representingchoral performances. "t soon becomes evident

that #thanassa!is interdisciplinary approach benefits from art, architecture and epigraphic evidence

as well the literary evidence.

Chapter 1 )The Chorus/ identity and ritual roles- eamines not only the ritual function of the chorus

but also the identity and function of the choral persona. Choral odes, as #thanassa!i shows, cannot

be interpreted simply as the outcome of genre conventions* one must focus on the relationshipbetween the ode and the contet of its performance, especially the occasion of its composition, the

religious setting of its performance and its ideological agenda. Concerns with the construction of

the chorus0 +" permeate this section. "n order to draw conclusions concerning re(performance and

re(performability, #thanassa!i focuses on three different categories of chorus representation.

#llowing for the fact that the chorus self references usually point to a collective identity, she treats

the first #lcmanPartheneion)C21 P34%- as an eception since it presents us with a +uni5ue case

of individuali6ation of the chorus. 'he then eplores the possibility that it was re(preformed, and

the circumstances of its possible re(performance, and argues that its construction and imagery point

to a theatrical reality that would enable this to ta!e place. This valuable point allows us to imagine

possible Panhellenic re(performances outside a ritual setting. 7e might, however, epect

#thanassa!i to tac!le #lcmans ideological agenda, as she does with Pindar and $acchylides in the

chapters that follow, especially since this is the only female chorus she discusses.

8/13/2019 book rev. ATHANASSAKI

2/4

8

To introduce her second category, the author eamines $acchylides 9de 1: as an eample of a

collective mythical identity, ta!ing the opportunity to discuss the communicative tactics the poet

employs to reflect the historical present through the dramati6ation of the past. ;ast but not least,

#thanassa!i tac!les the thorny issue of the relationship between the chorus and kmosand provides

a satisfying answer/ the kmosis not a realistic representation but a role, and the poet artfullyidentifies the chorus with the kmosin order to reflect the &oyful festive mood of the group. Chapter

1 ends with a discussion of choral persona and +phasmatic space, a concept important for

#thanassa!is discussion. #ccording to her, poets use the choral persona to lead the audiences

imagination away from visible space and into a phasmatic one. This helpful concept allows

#thanassa!i to show throughout the boo! that any spatial references can either refer to the space of

the original performance and and

Pythian?, #thanassa!i attempts to reconstruct the contet of their original performance. #lthough

she refers to the problem of genre, she interprets Pindars poetic choices not according to genrecategori6ation but in view of the first performance and possible re(performances. #ccording to her

reading, representation of the first performance is important not only for the audience of that

performance but for future audiences as well, since it monumentali6es the ritual as a shared

emotional eperience.

9ne of the most important contributions is #thanassa!is argument that both poet and audience are

viewers of the monuments lin!ed to the original performance, so that the enactment of the odes

functions as an etension of that viewing eperience. This line of in5uiry has been pursued by other

scholars, but #thanassa!is achievement emerges in her discussion of the analogies between the

visual and poetic representation that the audience is invited to find. %or #thanassa!i, the poetic

representation of the performance see!s to conserve the memory of the epinician ritual for

emotional and ideological reasons. "n the case of Olympian?, her analysis shows how the mythical

exemplumis in dialogue with the sculpture of the east frie6e of the 'iphnian treasury. =eading the

ode with Olympian8 andIsthmian8, #thanassa!i convincingly shows how the repetitive evocation

of the @elphic monument functions as a constant reminder of the ritual and aims at the

monumentali6ation of the familys kleos. #s far as Olympian1> is concerned, #thanassa!i discusses

both archaeological and literary evidence to show that the cult of the Charitesis an integral part of

the cultural tradition of 9rchomenos. 'he then goes on to argue that the Pindaric focus on the

Charitesserves to reinforce the possibility of the odes re(performance at 9rchomenos, in both

ritual and sympotic contet.

Chapter three )Performances in symposia/ =itual, ideology and politics- focuses on the symposium

as a place for choral performance. #thanassa!i eaminesNemeanA and Olympian1 as two victory

odes that inscribe the symposium as performance space, whileNemean1 andPythian1 represent

the symposium as an alternativeperformance place. This categori6ation allows her to draw valid

conclusions regarding the odes reception. #ccording to #thanassa!i, sympotic imagery is not a

poetic instruction to be ta!en at face value. =ather than pointing to an actual performance, poetic

representations of symposia serve a larger ideological and political scope. #thanassa!is choice of

Pindars 'icilian odes helps her to eplore further the ideological function of sympotic imagery in

epinician poetry and to convincingly conclude that such imagery is employed to guarantee the

success of the odes before a Panhellenic aristocratic audience.

"n the final chapter )Performances in shrines, ""/ The ritual memori6ation of the polis kleos-,

#thanassa!i further eplores the significance of the constant evocation of sacred space, but now

8/13/2019 book rev. ATHANASSAKI

3/4

shifts her focus from the monumentali6ation of the familys kleosto that of thepolisas a whole. To

that end, she chooses to discuss three odes that evo!e #thenian monuments and shrines.

#thanassa!i readsPythianB as inscribing both #thens and @elphi as places for possible

performance. 'ince the eiled 3egacles could not have been honored in his home city at the time of

his victory, #thanassa!i argues that Pindar purposefully leads the audiences mind to #thens inorder to point towards a re(performance in the victors hometown. 3oreover, she argues that the

odes reference to the restoration of the @elphic monument points not to the #lcmaeonids in

particular, but to #thenian citi6ens in general, deflecting the possibility ofphthonosand connecting

the city as a whole to the famous temple. $acchylides tra&ectory is different, #thanassa!i points

out. 'he argues that 9des 1B and 1: are in dialogue with #thenian monuments as well but shows

that the poet uses the mythological eemplum in order to sing the praises of #thens in a way that

emphasi6es Cimons similarity to Theseus.

#thanassa!is boo! is readable and accessible, her style clear and elegant. #part from its most

important contributionthe incorporation of material culture into discussions of choral poetry and

its reception )reinforced here by a number of artful illustrations- ((the boo! provides comprehensiveand detailed analyses of the poems that help students, specialists and general readers ali!e to grasp

their compleity, richness and density. The "ntroduction and Conclusion are concise and informative

and could serve not only as eplanations of the boo!s thesis but also serve as secondary reading

material for undergraduate and graduate courses. The main body of the boo! includes many samples

of choral poetry, followed by much(needed translations into 3odern 4ree!. The bibliography is

admirably up(to(date and etensive, including important recent wor!s in 3odern 4ree!. #lthough "

am sure that the 4ree!(spea!ing audience will appreciate the authors choice to write in her native

language, " regret that this important volume will therefore not have as wide an audience as

deserved. " wholeheartedly hope an Dnglish translation is in the wor!s.

Table of Contents

"ntroduction

Chapter 1/ The Chorus/ identity and ritual roles

"ntroduction

1. The 'partan chorus. #lcmansPartheneion)C2 1P34%-

8. The #thenean chorus. $acchylidesDithyramb. 9de 1:.

. The role and identity of kmosin epinician odes.

.1 3onodic or choral performanceE

.8. The identity of the spea!ing ">. Choral persona and phasmatic space

Chapter 8/ Performances in shrines, "/ =itual and memory

"ntroduction

1. Performance at the shrine of the Charites. Olympian1>.

1.1 Phasmatic space and audience

1.8 Dpinician performances in the contet of public festivals

1. The poetic concept under the light of the long cultural tradition of 9rchomenos

1.> Dpinician ritual/ revo!ing and monumentali6ing memory

8. Performance in the temple of #pollo.Pythian?.

8.1 DvoFing the eastern frie6e of the 'iphian Treasure

8.8 The representations in the palaces of the Dmmenides in #cragas8. Gisible and phasmatic space. Dvocing the ritual memory

8.> Glykeia de ren kai sumpotaisin homilein.

8/13/2019 book rev. ATHANASSAKI

4/4

>

Chapter / Performances in symposia/ =itual, ideology and politics

"ntroduction

1. The epinician symposium at Hallias

8. The symposium in the palace of Chromius in Dtna.NemeanA

8.1 9verlapping of performance references8.8 The political message of the ode to the @orians of Peloponnesus and Dtna.

8. 7ar stories around a crater

8.> Triumphal adventus and sympotic performance

. Performance at the threshold of Chromius in 'yracuse.Nemean1

>. Performance in Iierons palace. Olympian1.

>.1 The festivities contet

>.8 'ympotic homilia

>. 3ythical action. @ivine and Ieroic 'ymposia

>.> 'ympotic imagery and the 'icilian audience

Chapter >/ Performances in shrines, ""/ The ritual memori6ation of the polis kleos

"ntroduction1. 3onumentali6ation of the #thenian kleosby the #lcmeonids.PythianB

1.1 The performance of the 9de

1.8 The triumphal homecoming of a hospitable prominent Camarinean who loved horses.

Performance and encomiastic strategy

1. 3egacles son of Iippocrates/ hippotrophos, Cyloneus

1.> The #lcmeonids horses at the eastern pediment of #pollos temple

1.J =itual monumentali6ation, viewing and re(performance

8. 3onumentali6ation of the #thenian !leos by the Ceans. $acchylides 9de 1B

8.1. Iistoric and political resonances

8.8 9de 1B in its artistic environment

8. 9de 1: and the #thenian Treasury

8.> 9de 1B as a!ographia lalousa

8.J The geographic hori6on of the Cean performance resonances

. 7ays of viewing

>. The radiance of #thenian kleos

Conclusion

;ist of #bbreviations

$ibliography

%igure plate

"nde of names and topics

"nde of ancient sources