Lampas - Volume 55, Issue 1, 2022

Abstract This paper contrasts two modes of representation, each of which applies to a wide range of phenomena (verbal, visual, and social): aggregation and antithesis. Homeric epic is (like Geometric vase-painting) for the most part aggregative, in narrative and in verbal style. By contrast, later texts (especially Herakleitos and tragedy) often contain the juxtaposition of two words expressing an opposition (‘antitheti Read More

Abstract The authors present a brief survey of Homeric papyri ranging from summaries to word lists and exam prep. Especially papyri from an educational context form a great way to, on the one hand, introduce students of Homer to papyri, and on the other, offer a fresh perspective on Homer and his reception in antiquity. The final part of the article offers a small example of a papyrological exercise for secondary school pupils.

Abstract In his serio-comic Trojan Oration (Or. 11), Dio of Prusa, one of the leading Greek orators of his time (1st century CE), argues that the Trojans, not the Greeks, have won the Trojan war. Homer has lied to us and these lies have been leading us to an unjust depiction of history for centuries. Dio shows how exactly this is possible: based on what Homer himself tells us (or does not tell us) Dio deconstructs the Iliad an Read More

Abstract Writing and publishing short texts about oneself, one’s friends, one’s activities and opinions is something everybody does who is active on social media. It was also done by Pliny in his Epistles and by Martial in his Epigrams. Of course, their media do not map exactly onto ours, nor do their norms, values and expectations, but precisely for that reason the comparison may be illuminating. In this article, I discuss how Plin Read More