In antiquity

The ancient world used the senses to express an enormous range of cultural meanings. Indeed the senses were functionally significant in all aspects of ancient life, often in ways that were complex and interconnected. Antiquity was also a period where the senses were experienced vividly: cities stank, statues were brightly painted and literature made full use of sensory imagery to create its effects. In a steeply hierarchical world, with vast differences between the landed wealthy, the poor and the slaves, the senses played a key role in establishing and maintaining boundaries between social groups; but the use of the senses in the ancient world was not static. New religions, such as Christianity, developed their own way of using the senses, acquiring unique forms of sensory-related symbolism in processes which were slow and often contested. The aim of this volume is to provide an overview of these structures and developments and to show how their study can yield a more nuanced understanding of the ancient world. A Cultural History of the Senses in Antiquity presents essays on the following topics: the social life of the senses; urban sensations; the senses in the marketplace; the senses in religion; the senses in philosophy and science; medicine and the senses; the senses in literature; art and the senses; and sensory media.

Introduction: Sensing the Ancient Past Jerry Toner (University of Cambridge, UK) 1. The Social Life of the Senses: Feasts and Funerals David Potter (University of Michigan, USA) 2. Urban Sensations: Opulence and Ordure Gregory S. Aldrete (University of Wisconsin, USA) 3. The Senses in the Marketplace: The Luxury Market and Eastern Trade in Ancient Rome Andrew Wallace-Hadrill (University of Cambridge, UK) 4. The Senses in Religion: Piety, Critique, Competition Susan Ashbrook Harvey (Brown University, USA) 5. The Senses in Philosophy and Science: Five Conceptions from Heraclitus to Plato Ashley Clements (Trinity College Dublin, UK) 6. Medicine and the Senses: Humours, Potions and Spells Helen King (The Open University, UK) and Jerry Toner (University of Cambridge, UK) 7. The Senses in Literature: Falling in Love in an Ancient Greek Novel Silvia Montiglio (Johns Hopkins Universitry, USA) 8. Art and the Senses: The Artistry of Bodies, Stages and Cities in the Greco-Roman World Mark Bradley (University of Nottingham, UK) 9. Sensory Media: Representation, Communication, and Performance in Ancient Literature Benjamin Stevens (Hollins University, USA) Notes Bibliography Notes on Contributors Index