Picturing Death in Classical Athens

Download or read book Picturing Death in Classical Athens written by John H. Oakley and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-03-07 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Attic white lekythoi, funerary vases long appreciated for their beautiful polychrome images, evoke the style of lost classical wall and mural paintings. This richly illustrated volume closely examines the four major types of scenes: domestic pictures; the mythological conductors of the soul; the prothesis (wake); and visits to the grave. John Oakley analyzes these pictures in context, documenting relationships between the "rites of passage," Athenian history, and the changing perceptions of death in fifth-century Athens.