‘From Enemies to Fallen Soldiers to City-Founders: The Complex Portrayal of the Amazons in Greco-Roman Material Culture’

Connie Skibinski | University of Newcastle

Abstract:

The mythic Amazons – an autonomous, all-female society of fierce warrior women – have been studied extensively by Classics scholars with an interest in ancient mythology. Much prior scholarship employs a framework of alterity, focusing on ways in which this mythical society embodies specific elements that are antithetical to Greek society. Thus, the scholarly consensus is that the ancient audience would have conceived of the Amazons as inimical figures, worthy of derision and contempt. My research challenges this line of argumentation, as I analyse a range visual material which shows that the ancient Amazons are more multifaceted than traditionally assumed.
In this presentation, I examine material culture from Greece and Rome, to consider how the Amazons were represented and perceived throughout antiquity. I employ four discrete case studies: Classical Greek ‘Amazonomachy’ artworks (5th C BC); Hellenistic era ‘Wounded Amazon’ sculptures (3rd C BC); Augustan era ‘Amazonomachy’ artworks (27 BC – 14 AD); and post-Augustan numismatic representations (1st – 3rd C AD). By analysing dominant iconographic trends as well as wider socio-political conditions, I argue that the Amazon image is highly nuanced, taking on different meaning in each period.

Biography:

Connie Skibinski is currently undertaking a PhD (Classics) at The University of Newcastle, having completed a Bachelor of Arts with joint Honours in Ancient History and Ancient Greek at The University of Sydney. Her primary research focus is Ancient Greek and Latin literature, particularly the representation of women in mythology and epic poetry. Her doctoral thesis is a Classical Reception study of the Amazon Queen Penthesilea, examining written and visual representations from antiquity to the twentieth century. She is currently working on a publication on the Amazons in Xena: Warrior Princess, to be published in the Bloomsbury ‘Imagines’ series.

When | Seminars will be held on Tuesdays, 3.00-4.30pm

Where | CCANESA Boardroom, Madsen F09. All Seminars will also be streamed via Zoom

For More information and to Register, contact: Yvonne Inall yvonne.inall@sydney.edu.au

Upcoming Seminars

COVID-19 restrictions mean numbers allowed in the CCANESA Boardroom are limited and some seminars may be hosted as online only events.

Boardroom bookings are essential. Please email yvonne.inall@sydney.edu.auto book a place (indicating the session) if you wish to attend in person. University approved social distancing etiquette remains be in place.

The CCANESA Boardroom is located on level four of the Madsen Building (on Eastern Avenue opposite the CarslawBuilding). CCANESA is at the top of the stairs located directly in front of you when you enter the Madsen Building.

Details for the Zoom streaming option will be sent out prior to each seminar.