Art, science, and the natural world in the ancient Mediterranean, 300 BC to AD 100 /
"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...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford, United Kingdom :
Oxford University Press,
2021.
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| Edition: | First edition. |
| Series: | Oxford studies in ancient culture and representation.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | "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. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource : illustrations, plans |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780192659385 0192659383 9780192659392 0192659391 9780191937255 0191937258 |