Overview

What could be more evident than the concepts of oblique, horizontal or vertical? In the modern world, these concepts form the basis of our thought system, both from a mathematical and artistic point of view. Everything would suggest that these principles were known to the Greek civilization. However, the study of the surviving texts casts a different light on the matter. Homer did not know the concept of oblique - no word could translate it into the language of his time. Even later, the Greeks had five adjectives approximately meaning oblique: λοξός, πλάγιος, λέχριος, σκολιός and δόχμιος. Each discipline (cosmology, optic, geography, art, etc.) had its own way of looking at these five words. Paradoxically, what the written language had not yet synthesized was abundant in imagery. Even more surprising, the oblique in images, which we consider as a sign of movement in our own iconographic language, is found to signify both movement and rest. Two monuments of Greek art draw attention to this new paradox: the frieze of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the Mourning Athena. In each of them, the oblique line is present, and carries two distinct meanings. These two forms of language, written and figurative, bring a different and complementary perspective on the ancient Greeks' apprehension (or lack thereof) of the concept of oblique.

Full Product Details

Author:   Thibault Girard (Université Lumière Lyon 2)
Publisher:   Archaeopress
Imprint:   Archaeopress Archaeology
Dimensions:   Width: 21.00cm , Height: 1.00cm , Length: 29.70cm
Weight:   0.751kg
ISBN:  

9781784911393

ISBN 10:   1784911399
Pages:   193
Publication Date:   31 July 2015
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Language:   French

Table of Contents

Introduction. Les Grecs et Nous Premi ère Parti e. L’obli que dans la pensée grecque Chapitre I. Prolégomènes. La table des opposés « fondamentaux » et Homère Chapitre II. Macrocosme et microcosme. Des présocratiques à Proclos Chapitre III. La théorie des atomes. Épicure et Lucrèce Chapitre IV. L’oblique des vents Chapitre V. Strabon Chapitre VI. Hippocrate et les médecins grecs Chapitre VII. Les Tragiques et les poètes hellénistiques Chapitre VIII. Le rayon et le miroir : la vision d’Euclide Deuxième Parti e. L’obli que dans l’art grec Chapitre IX. La notion d’oblique dans l’art Chapitre X. Oblique en mouvement Chapitre XI. Oblique en repos Conclusion : Les descriptions antiques d’oeuvres d’art

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Author Information

Thibault Girard has a PhD in classical archaeology. He is a researcher associated with the CNRS and the University of Liège, and participates in the excavations of the Schola del Traiano (Ostia antica). His research focuses on Greco-Roman iconography, leading to the publication of L'oblique dans le monde grec : concept et imagerie (Archaeopress 2015), as well as several articles and reviews in international journals.

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