Picturing Death in Classical Athens The Evidence of the White Lekythoi [Hardcover]

This book examines the pictures found on Attic lekythois, funerary vases appreciated for their beautiful polychrome images.This is the first in-depth study of the pictures found on Attic white lekythois. These funerary vases have long been appreciated for their beautiful polychrome images that 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. Oakley places these pictures in context, documenting relationships between the rites of Passage, Athenian history, and the changing perceptions of death in fifth-century Athens.This is the first in-depth study of the pictures found on Attic white lekythois. These funerary vases have long been appreciated for their beautiful polychrome images that 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. Oakley places these pictures in context, documenting relationships between the rites of Passage, Athenian history, and the changing perceptions of death in fifth-century Athens.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.1. Introduction; 2. Domestic scenes; 3. The prothesis; 4. Myth and mythological figures; 5. Scenes at the grave; 6. Putting the pictures into contexlã"