Art, Science, and the Natural World in the Ancient Mediterranean, 300 BC to AD 100 (Oxford Studies in Ancient Culture & Representation)

"The Hellenistic period witnessed striking new developments in art, literature, and science. This volume addresses a particularly vibrant area of innovation: the study of animals and the natural world. While Aristotle and his followers had revolutionized fields such as zoology and botany during the fourth century BC, these disciplines took on exciting new directions during Hellenistic times. Kings imported exotic species into their royal capitals from faraway lands. Travel writers described unusual creatures that they had never previously encountered. And buyers from a range of social levels chose works of art featuring animals and plants to decorate their palaces, houses and tombs. While textual sources shed some light on these developments, the central premise of Art, Science, and the Natural World in the Ancient Mediterranean is that our surviving artistic evidence permits an even fuller understanding. Accordingly, the study brings together a rich body of visual material that invites new observations on how and why knowledge of the natural world increased in importance during this period. It is suggested that this cultural phenomenon affected many different groups in society: from kings in Alexandria and Pergamon to provincial aristocrats in the Levant, and from the Julio-Claudian imperial family to prosperous homeowners in Pompeii. By analysing the works of art produced for these individuals, a vivid picture emerges of this significant aspect of ancient culture"--Publisher's description Cover Series page Art, Science, and the Natural World in the Ancient Mediterranean, 300 BC to AD 100 Copyright Dedication Acknowledgements Contents List of Illustrations Abbreviations Note on Translations 1: Art, Science, and the Natural World: Introduction and Historical Background The Alexandrian Intellectual Achievement The Mouseion and Library The accumulation of books Encyclopaedism, cataloguing, and classification in Alexandrian scholarship Aristotle and his impact on Alexandrian Intellectualism The scientific research of Aristotle and his followers The reception of Aristotelian natural science in Alexandria Kallimachos’s treatises On Birds and On Changes in the Names of Fish Paradoxography Aristophanes of Byzantium’s Epitome of Aristotle The Ptolemies and Other Animals The Grand Procession of Ptolemy II Philadelphos Collecting animals in third-century Alexandria Encounters in the wild 2: The Nile Mosaic at Praeneste: Evidence of Ptolemaic Natural Science in Late Republican Italy Context, Chronology, and Modern History The Topography of the Nile Mosaic A Ptolemaic Archetype Praeneste and the Hellenistic East The Nile Mosaic in its Alexandrian Context The origins of the animal representations Fantastical creatures Ptolemaic Taxonomy in the Nile Mosaic Territorial Ideology Conclusions 3: The Tomb of Apollophanes at Marisa: Parading Knowledge in Hellenistic Idumaea Architectue and Chronology Marisa in the Third Century BC The Painted Decoration of the Tomb The Animal Frieze The Leopardess Hunt: Origins and Significance Aethiopia, Egypt, and The Animal Frieze A Parade of Knowledge? Conclusions 4: The Artemidoros Papyrus: An Assortment of Scientific Images and Texts Discovery and Reconstructions Chronology and Context Artemidoros and The Verso of P. Artemid The Verso Illustrations: Artistry, Arrangement, Origins P.Artemid, and Hellenistic Natural Science The Function(s) of the Verso Conclusions 5: Animals in Hellenistic Royal Mosaics: Tryphē and Taxonomy in Alexandria and Pergamon The Dog Mosaic From Alexandria Royal Mosaics From Pergamon Palace IV Palace V Pliny the Elder and sosos of Pergamon Sosos’s Doves Sosos’s Unswept Room Contextualizing the Mosaics of Sosos Captive Animals and Transportabl Eintermediaries Conclusions 6: Fish Mosaics in Late Republican Italy: Between Roman Gastronomy and Hellenistic Ichthyology The Fish Mosaics at Praeneste and Pompeii The ‘Cave of the Lots’ at Praeneste The House of the Faun at Pompeii The House of the Geometric Mosaics at Pompeii Typological Connections Workshops and Intermediaries The Significance of Fish Mosaics for Italian Viewers The Case for Hellenistic Origins Interpreting the Postulated Archetype Conclusions 7: Garden Paintings in Rome and the Bayof Naples: Bringing the Natural World Indoors The Painted Garden Room at Prima Porta Interpreting Livia's Garden Room Painted Garden Room in Early Imperial Pompeii The House of the Golden Bracelet The House of the Fruit Orchard Reading the Garden Paintings at Pompeii Hellenistic Origins: Existing Theories Hellenistic Origins: A More Flexible Hypothesis Conclusions 8: Conclusions Art, Science, and The Natural World in the Anceint Mediterranean The Legacy of Hellenistic Natural Science Cultural legacy Artistic legacy Closing Remarks Bibliography Index The Hellenistic Period witnessed striking new developments in art, literature and science. This volume addresses a particularly vibrant area of innovation: the study of animals and the natural world. While Aristotle and his followers had revolutionized fields such as zoology and botany during the fourth century BC, these disciplines took on exciting new directions during Hellenistic times. Kings imported exotic species into their royal capitals from faraway lands. Travel writers described unusual creatures that they had never previously encountered. And buyers from a range of social levels chose works of art featuring animals and plants to decorate their palaces, houses and tombs. While textual sources shed some light on these developments, the central premise of Art, Science and the Natural World in the Ancient Mediterranean is that our surviving artistic evidence permits a fuller understanding. Accordingly, the study brings together a rich body of visual material that invites new observations on how and why knowledge of the natural world became so important during this period. It is suggested that this cultural phenomenon affected many different groups in society: from kings in Alexandria and Pergamon to provincial aristocrats in the Levant, and from the Julio-Claudian imperial family to prosperous homeowners in Pompeii. By analysing the works of art produced for these individuals, a vivid picture emerges of this remarkable aspect of ancient culture. The Hellenistic Period witnessed striking new developments in art, literature and science. This volume addresses a particularly vibrant area of innovation: the study of animals and the natural world. While Aristotle and his followers had revolutionized fields such as zoology and botany during the fourth century BC, these disciplines took on exciting new directions during Hellenistic times. Kings imported exotic species into their royal capitals from faraway lands. Travel writers described unusual creatures that they had never previously encountered. And buyers from a range of social levels chose works of art featuring animals and plants to decorate their palaces, houses and tombs.00While textual sources shed some light on these developments, the central premise of Art, Science and the Natural World in the Ancient Mediterranean is that our surviving artistic evidence permits a fuller understanding. Accordingly, the study brings together a rich body of visual material that invites new observations on how and why knowledge of the natural world became so important during this period. It is suggested that this cultural phenomenon affected many different groups in society: from kings in Alexandria and Pergamon to provincial aristocrats in the Levant, and from the Julio-Claudian imperial family to prosperous homeowners in Pompeii. By analysing the works of art produced for these individuals, a vivid picture emerges of this remarkable aspect of ancient culture