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Stones, Wood and Woven Papyrus: Porphyry’s on Statues
Among the fragmentary works of the Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry of Tyre are some reasonably substantial remains of his essay on the interpretation of cult images, On Statues (Περὶ Ἀγαλμάτων). My study falls into two parts. Firstly, I assess the major source of our fragments, Eusebius of Caesarea’s Praeparatio Evangelica, and argue that the full text of On Statues would have looked quite different, and in particular much less Stoic, than the surviving fragments would suggest. Secondly, I turn to consider what these fragments tell us about Porphyry’s thoughts on the interpretation of images and the place of these thoughts in the wider history of viewing.
History
Publication title
Journal of Hellenic StudiesVolume
135Pagination
78-94ISSN
0075-4269Department/School
School of HumanitiesPublisher
Cambridge University PressPlace of publication
United KingdomRights statement
© The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies 2015Repository Status
- Restricted