The Tyrant-Slayers of Ancient Athens
A Tale of Two Statues
Paul Cartledge author Vincent Azoulay author Janet Lloyd translator
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:16th Nov '17
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This investigation relies on a rash bet: to write the biography of two of the most famous statues in Antiquity, the Tyrannicides. Representing the murderers of the tyrant Hipparchus in full action, these statues erected on the Agora of Athens have been in turn worshipped, outraged, and imitated. They have known hours of glory and moments of hardships, which have transformed them into true icons of Athenian democracy. The subject of this book is the remarkable story of this group statue and the ever-changing significance of its tyrant-slaying subjects. The first part of this book, in six chapters, tells the story of the murder of Hipparchus and of the statues of the two tyrannicides from the end of the sixth century to the aftermath of the restoration of democracy in 403. The second part, in three chapters, chronicles the fate and influence of the statues from the fourth century to the end of the Roman Empire. These chapters are followed by an epilogue that reveals new life for the statues in modern art and culture, including how Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union made use of their iconography. By tracing the long trajectory of the tyrannicides -- in deed and art -- Azoulay provides a rich and fascinating microhistory that will be of interest to readers of classical art and history.
Such an innovative treatment of a seemingly well-worn subject inspires fresh ways of thinking about the past in the present. * Tyler Jo Smith, Religious Studies Review *
This is an original and fascinating study that shows how the statues of Harmodius and Aristogiton and their story have reverberated down the centuries. * Brian A. Sparkes, Classics for All *
Azoulay's book is a pleasure to read -thanks also to the translator- as he travels with Harmodius and Aristogiton through the Athenian Agora, down unexpected Roman colonnades, and Syrian alleys. Although, as he confesses, the topic is familiar from political history and art history ('a torrent of specialist studies' 4; cf. 13), Azoulay presents good observations on the ambivalent ideologies of this statuefied pairing and unexpected viewpoints on changing 'strategies of celebration. * Donald Lateiner, Ohio Wesleyan University, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
The overall design of [Azoulay's] microhistory is ingenious. By focusing on a single object originally found at the center of Athens, he conveys us meaningfully through seven centuries of political evolution: Harmodius and Aristogiton become the fixed points around which all of Greek history revolves. * New York Review of Books *
This exhilarating study unpacks the multifaceted life and afterlife of two statues in Naples, known jointly as the Tyrannicides, depicting Athenian heroes Harmodius and Aristogeiton about to strike down Hipparchus, the brother of the Athenian tyrant Hippias, in 514 BCE. * CHOICE *
Vincent Azoulay's work builds on his predecessors ... He offers a comprehensive account of the sources, whether literary, iconographic, historical, or epigraphic ... Paul Cartledge offers a stimulating and sympathetic foreword, and the concluding notes and bibliography are exceptionally full and detailed. * Lucilla Burn, Times Literary Supplement *
ISBN: 9780190663568
Dimensions: 239mm x 164mm x 24mm
Weight: 590g
304 pages