TAPHOS

Grupo de Pesquisas em Práticas Mortuárias

no Mediterrâneo Antigo

museum of archaeology and ethnology. university of sÃo paulo - av. prof. almeida prado, 1466 - butantÃ, sÃo paulo, brazil

the materiality of the world

of the dead in the iconographic
representations of the attic
pottery production in the
classical period.
bruno dos santos menegatti
supervisor: dr.ª camila diogo de souza

introduction and objectives.
picturing the underworld in classical attic pottery.
The project aims to map and analyze the visual culture of world of the dead (Hades) in the
Attic pottery production (Athens) from the end of the Archaic Period until the beginning of
the Hellenistic Period. Our goal is to discuss the social roles and meanings of the visual
culture, considering the importance of the iconographic analysis related to its physical support
and vehicle, the vase.
death and myth. black and red figure pottery
and mythological scenes.
The second catalogue has 154 pieces (vases and fragments) from black
and red figure attic pottery such as amphora, hydria, stamnos, oenochoe,
krater and lekythos found in varied archaeological contexts.The scenes
show specific mythological episodes related to the world of the dead,
such as Heracles and Athena with Cerberus, Theseus and Pythia in
Hades and scenes of punishments in the case of the Danaids and Hermes, Athena, Cerberus

theoretical framework, material and methods. Sisyphus. Heracles and Cerberus appear in 44 vases. The scenes with and Heracles. Black
figured amphora.

visual culture and pottery production. Thanatos and Hypnos in this kind of pottery style are usually related to H. 23,5cm. 525-500
a.C. 06.1021.78. New
Sarpedon myth, picturing his death. York, Metropolitan
Museum of art.

The documentary corpus of the research is formed by 248 pieces (vases and fragments) with
iconographical representations of the world of the dead in attic pottery from funerary and
domestic contexts and symposia. Descriptive records proposed for the typological analysis of
iconographical aspects will provide, through an archaeological approach, the study of the
iconological aspects of the visual culture considering its materiality.
Material culture and Archaeology of Image (Philippe
Hegel’s dialectics Bruneau) – iconography
(Daniel Miller) and visual culture
Ceramology – attributionism (John Beazley)
The documentary corpus composed by the catalogue with descriptive records and categories
plays a fundamental role for the analysis and the development of the research. A database is
being built in FileMaker in order to cross data and identify patterns of iconographical
elements. This pilot and original database has a great methodological potential to provide
different research approaches and interpretative perspectives to the analysis of the attic pottery
production from the end of the Archaic until the end of the Classical Period. Below, the
descriptive record and the categories of analysis of the database:
research analysis and development.
conclusions.
visual culture and society. materializing
conceptions of death in classical athens.
In white ground lekythoi the materiality of the world of the dead does
not occur directly, and the iconographical elements which constitute
the visual culture of this historical context are materialized by the
presence of torches, rocks, vegetation, columns, the throne of Hades,
the boat of the Charon and the presence of souls (Eidola). There is a
great number of scenes of farewell where the living and the dead
appear with Charon; as well as scenes in the grave, with funerary
stelae, where the living are honoring the dead. These iconographical
representations indicate unclear physical boundaries between the
world of the living and the dead. The materiality of the underworld is Thanatos, Dead and
depicted by this transitional and ambiguous space and the space of Hypnos. White ground
lekythos. H. 48,8cm.
the dead in the world of the living (the grave). 450-400 a.C. 1876,0328.1.
London, British Museum.
These scenes reveal the greater interest in the transition to the
underworld as the protagonist of the visual culture and not the Hades
and the afterlife of the dead and the mythological figures of the chthonic world. Therefore, the
visual culture represented by the chthonic sphere in these vases demonstrates a real concern of
the Athenian aristocracy about the transition of their beloved ones (the dead) to the au-delá.
In contrast, on black and red figure scenes, the world of the dead is depicted strictly by a
mythological narrative, distinct from the funerary iconography characteristic of the white
lekythoi. Cerberus, represented with Heracles, is the guardian of the gates of Hades realm,
frequently pictured between columns and architectural elements, or on a throne, Hades
sometimes with Persephone. Scenes of punishment in the world
of the dead, like the ones with Sisyphus and Danaids, large round
rocks and pouring vases and large pithoi are the material
elements related to the underworld.
So far, 87 black and red figure vases were catalogued dating from
550-475 BC, while 63 white ground lekythoi are dated from 450 to
400 BC. Therefore, a chronological desynchronization between
Thanatos, Hermes,
these two styles is remarkable. The mythological iconographic Sarpedon and Hypnos.
preference observed at the end of the Archaic Period and the
Cratere di Euphronios.
Black figured krater.

death and ritual. funerary scenes on white ground beginning of the Classic Period goes into decay, a period when
H. 47,5 cm. 515 a.C.
Roma, Museo Nazionale

lekythoi. the ritual and funerary character is more relevant to be depicted di Villa Giulia [da
Cerveteri].

on the scenes where the chthonic deities represent the good

The corpus is composed by two catalogues. One constituted by
passage of the dead to the underworld. The white lekythoi may
iconographical representations on 94 white lekythoi which have
be the last breath of the Athenian society concerned to the dead in service of the interests of the
exclusive funerary and ritual functions. Despite the abolition of
living, while the black and red figure scenes express the concern with the different aspects of the
funeral stelae and the control of the funerals exerted by the laws of
world of the living and the dimensions of life.
the democratic polis during the 5th century, the visual culture
expresses elements of the death and the funeral, such as the Charon The iconography of death and the iconographical representations of the underworld are frequent
Charon and Hermes. waiting for the dead in his boat to conduct him/her to the in attic pottery during the 5th century, although they acquire distinct status, function and
White ground lekythos.
H. 31,6cm. 450 a.C. underworld, Thanatos and Hypnos carrying the dead with the meaning according to the support and pottery style they are pictured.
21.88.17. New York,
Metropolitan presence of Hermes psykhopompos.
Museum of art.
references.
SEM
TOCHA TRONO BARCA VEGETAÇÃO ESTELA ROCHA EIDOLA
AMBIENTE BEAZLEY, J.D. (1956) Attic black-figure vase painters. repensando a periodização. Clássica, v. 27, no. 1, p. 83-128.
DEMÉTER 2 Oxford; Clarendon. LISSARRAGUE, F.; SCHNAPP, A. (1981) Imagerie des
PERSÉFONE 3 1 BEAZLEY, J.D. (1963) Attic red-figure vase painters. 2nd Grecs ou Grèce des Imagiers?
HADES 1 1 edition. Oxford: Clarendon. Le Temps de la Reflexion. Paris, Gallimard, v. 2: 275-97.
CARONTE 52 23 9 14 6 BÉRARD, C. (1983) Iconographie-iconologie-iconologique. MILLER, D. (2010) Stuff. Cambridge: Polity.
HERMES 13 6 3 5 4 2 Études de Lettres. Revue de OAKLEY, J. H. (2004) Picturing death in Classical Athens:
THÁNATOS 1 1 10 1 2 la Faculté des Lettres. Université de Lausanne, p. 5-37. The Evidence of the White Lekythoi. Cambridge: CUP.
HYPNOS 1 1 11 1 2 BRUNEAU, PH. (1986) De L’Image. Ramage, 4: 249-95. SOURVINOU-INWOOD, C. (2006) ‘Reading’ Greek
1 1
CERQUEIRA, F. V. (2014) Abordagens mitológicas na Death to the end of the Classical Period. New York e
SEM
1
DIVINDADES
iconografia funerária da cerâmica ática (510-450 a.C.): Oxford: Clarendon paperbacks e Oxford University Press.

uma pequena contribuiÇÃo para que museus produzam mais conhecimento e menos cinzas.
sentimentos pelo incÊndio da maior coleÇÃo de cerÂmica grega da amÉrica latina em 2 de setembro de 2018.