Children in the Hellenistic World: Statues and Representation (Oxford Monographs on Classical Archaeology) - Hardcover

Bobou, Olympia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199683050 ISBN 13: 9780199683055

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2015

Synopsis

In this volume, Bobou offers a systematic analysis of ancient Greek statues of children from the sanctuaries, houses, and necropoleis of the Hellenistic world in order to understand their function and meaning. Comparing images of children in reliefs, terracotta figurines, and marble statutes, she shows that children and childhood became more prominent in the visual material record from the late fifth century BC, a time during which children became a matter of parental and state concern.

Looking at the literary and epigraphical evidence, Bobou argues that statues of children were important for transmitting civic values to future citizens, serving as paradigms of behaviour and standing testament to the strength and future of a community. Created by adults, the statues reveal much about adult ideology and values during this period, and the expectations and hopes placed on children. The combination of iconographic studies and examination of the original locations in which statues were placed highlights the importance of children in Hellenistic society as well as their connection with specific areas of civic and social life.

About this title

About the Author

Olympia Bobou is a classical archaeologist and Research Assistant in the Cast Gallery of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Her interests include the study of family life in the past, gender representation, and use of spaces in sanctuaries and necropoleis.

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199683050
• ISBN 13: 9780199683055
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 214