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Abstract (keynote speaker): Mythic Creatures and Captive Amazons

 


Prof. Adrienne Mayor. Stanford University.

Mythic Creatures and Captive Amazons 


Motives for and responses to displays of extraordinary bodies in antiquity trace a continuum. Bodily otherness could elicit negative feelings of disgust and superiority, at one end of the spectrum, and at the other end a sense of wonder and compassion. Motivations could include sensational entertainment, curiosity, domination, and scientific interest. To illustrate the complex diversity of intentions and reactions, my talk looks at how artistic images, literary descriptions, and public exhibits of mythic creatures (Centaurs, Griffins, and the Minotaur); wild animals captured for the Roman arena; anomalous and enslaved humans; and Amazons and female warriors in captivity aroused a range of emotions in viewers. Ancient Greek and Roman artists evoked empathy for hybrid monsters by focusing on their human features and/or their familiar, endearing animal behaviors. Unlike the Greeks, the Romans preferred iconography of dead and defeated Amazons and took pleasure seeing real women warriors from conquered lands paraded as demoralized “Amazons” in public spectacles and triumphs. Some modern parallels of these ancient examples demonstrate timeless complexities that surround displays of extraordinary bodies.

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