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Bobou offers a systematic analysis of ancient Greek statues of children from the sanctuaries, houses, and necropoleis of the Hellenistic world in order to understand their function and meaning. Looking at the literary and epigraphical evidence, she argues that these statues were important for transmitting civic values to future citizens.
List of contents
Acknowledgements; List of Illustrations; Abbreviations; 1 Introduction; 2 Locating the Children; 3 Creating an Image: Age and Gender; 4 Statues in Sanctuaries; 5 Statues from Houses and Tombs; 6 Children in Terracotta; 7 Children in Reliefs; 8 Conclusions; Catalogue; Bibliography; Index
About the author
Olympia Bobou is a classical archaeologist and Research Assistant in the Cast Gallery of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Her interests include the study of family life in the past, gender representation, and use of spaces in sanctuaries and necropoleis.
Summary
In this volume, Bobou offers a systematic analysis of ancient Greek statues of children from the sanctuaries, houses, and necropoleis of the Hellenistic world in order to understand their function and meaning. Comparing images of children in reliefs, terracotta figurines, and marble statutes, she shows that children and childhood became more prominent in the visual material record from the late fifth century BC, a time during which children became a matter of parental and state concern.
Looking at the literary and epigraphical evidence, Bobou argues that statues of children were important for transmitting civic values to future citizens, serving as paradigms of behaviour and standing testament to the strength and future of a community. Created by adults, the statues reveal much about adult ideology and values during this period, and the expectations and hopes placed on children. The combination of iconographic studies and examination of the original locations in which statues were placed highlights the importance of children in Hellenistic society as well as their connection with specific areas of civic and social life.
