Antiquity in print: visualizing Greece in the eighteenth century

Abstract

"Daniel Orrells examines the ways in which the ancient world was visualised for Enlightenment readers, and reveals how antiquarian scholarship emerged as the principal technology for visualising ancient Greek culture, at a time when very few people could travel to Greece which was still part of the Ottoman Empire. Offering a fresh account of the rise of antiquarianism in the 18th century, Orrells shows how this period of cultural progression was important for the invention of classical studies. In particular, the main focus of this book is on the visionary experimentalism of antiquarian book production, especially in relation to the contentious nature of ancient texts."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents

Introduction: Historicity, Disciplinarity and Materiality -- Achilles' Shield and Vico's Frontispiece -- Visualising Philhellenism -- Putting Ancient Greece into the Picture -- Epilogue: From Lessing to Kauffmann: Awaiting the Return of Ancient Greece.