The So-called Nonsense Inscriptions on Ancient Greek Vases : Between Paideia and Paidiá

As the first extensive survey of the ancient Greek painters' practice of writing nonsense on vases, The So-called Nonsense Inscriptions on Ancient Greek Vases by Sara Chiarini provides a systematic overview of the linguistic features of the phenomenon and discusses its forms and contexts of reception. While the origins of the practice lie in the impaired literacy of the painters involved in it, the extent of the phenomenon suggests that, at some point, it became a true fashion within Attic vase painting. This raises the question of the forms of interaction with this epigraphic material. An open approach is adopted: "reading" attempts, riddles and puns inspired by nonsense inscriptions could happen in a variety of circumstances, including the symposium but not limited to it. This book is the winner of the 2018 Géza Alföldy Publication Prize awarded by the AIEGL (Association Internationale d'Épigraphie Grecque et Latine). Contents......Page 7 Preface and Acknowledgements......Page 9 List of Illustrations......Page 12 List of Abbreviations......Page 14 1 What are Nonsense Inscriptions?......Page 15 2 What has been Said about Nonsense Inscriptions?......Page 23 1 Just for the ‘Beauty’ of grammata?......Page 33 2 Just for the Prestige of Writing?......Page 45 1.1 Introduction......Page 52 1.2 From Bottom to Top......Page 53 1.2.1 Scattered Letters......Page 54 1.2.2 Random Lettering......Page 56 1.2.3 Iterative Inscriptions......Page 77 1.2.4 Pseudo-Greek......Page 99 1.2.5 Mock Greek......Page 107 1.3 Summary Considerations......Page 119 2 Learning to Write and to Read in Ancient Greece......Page 121 3 Assessing the Nonsense Inscriptions Against the Scale of LiteracyCompetence......Page 135 Chapter 4 Περὶ παιδιᾶς or Nonsense Inscriptions and Intellectual Teasing......Page 140 1 Literate Nonsense......Page 141 1.1 Sense and Nonsense Kept Apart......Page 143 1.2 Weaving Sense and Nonsense Together......Page 148 2 The Symposion as καιρός for (Literate) Nonsense?......Page 170 3 A Life Beyond the Symposion......Page 193 Chapter 5 What if Nonsense Did Make Sense?......Page 201 1 Melodies and Musical Notes......Page 202 2 Barbarika......Page 207 3 Voices from Beyond......Page 217 4 Summative Remarks......Page 228 1 Summary......Page 230 2 Is it Nonsense?......Page 232 Appendix Catalogue of Vases and Fragments Carrying Nonsense Inscriptions......Page 239 Bibliography......Page 532 Index......Page 549 Contents 7 Preface and Acknowledgements 9 List of Illustrations 12 List of Abbreviations 14 Chapter 1 Introducing Nonsense 15 1 What are Nonsense Inscriptions? 15 2 What has been Said about Nonsense Inscriptions? 23 Chapter 2 Rethinking Prior Approaches 33 1 Just for the ‘Beauty’ of grammata? 33 2 Just for the Prestige of Writing? 45 Chapter 3 Περὶ παιδείας or Nonsense Inscriptions and Literacy 52 1 A Taxonomy of (Il)literacies 52 1.1 Introduction 52 1.2 From Bottom to Top 53 1.2.1 Scattered Letters 54 1.2.2 Random Lettering 56 1.2.3 Iterative Inscriptions 77 1.2.4 Pseudo-Greek 99 1.2.5 Mock Greek 107 1.3 Summary Considerations 119 2 Learning to Write and to Read in Ancient Greece 121 3 Assessing the Nonsense Inscriptions Against the Scale of LiteracyCompetence 135 Chapter 4 Περὶ παιδιᾶς or Nonsense Inscriptions and Intellectual Teasing 140 1 Literate Nonsense 141 1.1 Sense and Nonsense Kept Apart 143 1.2 Weaving Sense and Nonsense Together 148 2 The Symposion as καιρός for (Literate) Nonsense? 170 3 A Life Beyond the Symposion 193 Chapter 5 What if Nonsense Did Make Sense? 201 1 Melodies and Musical Notes 202 2 Barbarika 207 3 Voices from Beyond 217 4 Summative Remarks 228 Conclusion 230 1 Summary 230 2 Is it Nonsense? 232 Appendix Catalogue of Vases and Fragments Carrying Nonsense Inscriptions 239 Bibliography 532 Index 549 As the first extensive survey of the ancient Greek painters' practice of writing nonsense on vases, The So-called Nonsense Inscriptions on Ancient Greek Vases by Sara Chiarini provides a systematic overview of the linguistic features of the phenomenon and discusses its forms and contexts of reception. While the origins of the practice lie in the impaired literacy of the painters involved in it, the extent of the phenomenon suggests that, at some point, it became a true fashion within Attic vase painting. This raises the question of the forms of interaction with this epigraphic material. An open approach is adopted: "reading" attempts, riddles and puns inspired by nonsense inscriptions could happen in a variety of circumstances, including the symposium but not limited to it.--Page 4 of cover The So-called Nonsense Inscriptions On Ancient Greek Vases By Sara Chiarini Is The First Systematic Study Of The Phenomenon Of Nonsense Writing On Greek Pottery Of The Late Archaic And Early Classical Age.