CLASS 3732 - Image and Text in Graeco-Roman Culture

(crosslisted)
(also ARTH 3732) (LA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

Students will find the course more rewarding if they have taken previous classes in Greek and/or Latin, though this is not a requirement.

V. Platt.

This course explores the dynamic and ever-shifting relationship between visual and verbal forms of expression in Greek and Roman culture. On one hand, we will explore how images feature within texts, concentrating on the rhetorical trope of ekphrasis and the significance of art objects within the Greek epigrammatic tradition; on the other hand, we will examine how words feature within, upon or alongside material objects, whether as captions within images, accompanying labels, or even as visual images and material artefacts in their own right. We will pay special attention to the prevalence and significance of inscriptions in antiquity, thinking of them as both verbal and visual media. All texts will be read in translation, though students will find the course more rewarding if they have some experience with Greek and/or Latin.