Telamonian Ajax: the myth in archaic and classical Greece

Book

This monograph provides a complete overview of the development of Telamonian Ajax’s myth in archaic and classical Greece. It is a systematic study of the representations of the hero in all kinds of media, such as literature, art, or cultic practice. It establishes how and why the constitutive elements of Ajax’s myth evolved by examining the way the literary works and visual representations in which he features were influenced by the historical, socio-cultural, and performative contexts of their receptions. The political valence and religious dimension of the hero as well as the audience for which each work was produced are consistently taken into account. The study focuses on three main loci of reception: (1) the Panhellenic figure of Ajax, through a study of early Greek hexameter poetry and archaic art, (2) archaic and classical Aegina, and (3) archaic and classical Athens. By following in the footsteps of Ajax, this study offers a journey across the archaic and classical history of the Saronic Gulf, and exemplifies the manner in which the respective priorities of art, cult, and politics could be negotiated through the re-configuration of mythological figures.

Authors: Bocksberger, SM

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Place of publication: Oxford / New York
• Publication date: 2022-01-06
• Edition: 1
• DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198864769.001.0001
• EISBN: 9780191896804
• ISBN-10: 0198864760
• ISBN-13: 9780198864769
• Language: English
• Keywords: Aegina; suicide of Ajax; Salamis; Greek mythology; early Greek hexameters; Saronic Gulf; hero; Telamonian Ajax/Aias; ancient reception; Athens