Abstract:
In 1969 fragments of a fourth-century BC Greek wine vessel were found in a tomb in the Sicilian city of Syracuse, not far from the ancient theatre. The image on the vase has been plausibly linked to the play Oedipus Tyrannus, composed by the Athenian poet Sophocles around a century before. But why would the inhabitants of ancient Sicily have been interested in a play first produced at Athens, a city that would have taken them at least eight days to reach, traversing at a minimum 1100 km by sea? And how did they come to know about Sophocles and his works? In this paper, I will explore the network of connections between the Greek cities of Italy and Sicily and the theatrical culture of ancient Athens. In doing so, I will attempt to show that Greek Tragedy was, from its origins, a genre widely appreciated by ancient Sicilians and Italians and not (as is sometimes supposed) a peculiarly Athenian cultural product aimed primarily at Athenian citizens.
We wish to invite everyone interested in this open lecture to Mickiewicz Hall, at Collegium Maius, Fredry 10, 61-701 Poznań.
