Books by Hanna Golab
Songs and Stones: The Post-classical Greek Chorus and the Power of Placemaking, under contract wi... more Songs and Stones: The Post-classical Greek Chorus and the Power of Placemaking, under contract with Oxford University Press, explores Greek choral songs preserved in the epigraphic record between ca. 350 BCE and the end of the 4th c. CE. This subject has received no in-depth study until now despite the well-recognized centrality of chorality in ancient Greek culture. The main purpose of this book is to challenge the belief that chorality suffered a swift decline and subsequent extinction after the Late Classical period; to the contrary, I demonstrate that choral rituals were still inscribed into the daily life of all Greek cities. Moreover, I argue that chorality served as a tool to meditate on and embody a community’s place in the world. And with the constantly changing political reality of the Hellenistic and Roman periods, it was vital to create and sustain a place of one’s own. To that end, this book puts together two unlikely allies – epigraphy and chorality – to explore the ways in which they contributed to placemaking in the postclassical age.
Peer-reviewed papers by Hanna Golab
Costume Rentals in the Hellenistic Period, 2024
Consideration of the rental market in histories of the ancient Greek economy has been limited to ... more Consideration of the rental market in histories of the ancient Greek economy has been limited to the rentals of houses, land, and slaves. Costume rentals represent another aspect of the rental market in the Hellenistic period. Theatrical costume has been analyzed from an aesthetic perspective, based on dramatic texts and iconographic evidence, but epigraphical sources illuminate completely different aspects of ancient costume, namely the individuals involved in the costume rental market, and the patterns of their movement.
Minds on Stage: Cognitive Approaches to Greek Tragedy, 2023
Classical Philology, 2022
An ostracon from Edfu (O. Edfu 326 = SH 989) inscribed in the late Ptolemaic period is a fascinat... more An ostracon from Edfu (O. Edfu 326 = SH 989) inscribed in the late Ptolemaic period is a fascinating example of cultural hybridity in the late Hellenistic Egypt. So far, however, the short text has been analyzed mostly from the Greek perspective and, as a result, remains grossly misinterpreted. This article brings to light the neglected Egyptian dimension of the text and demonstrates that the short song merges Euripides’ Phoenissae with a festival of the Coronation of the Sacred Falcon in Edfu, on the basis of cultic associations of the gods Horus and Helios.
Repetition, Communication, and Meaning in the Ancient World, 2021
Any reader of the Iliad knows that the divine doctor Asklepios had two sons-Makhaon and Podaleiri... more Any reader of the Iliad knows that the divine doctor Asklepios had two sons-Makhaon and Podaleirios-and that the two medics were in the Greek camp at Troy with thirty ships (Il. 2.729-733). Makhaon treated Menelaos when he was struck by an arrow and was later wounded himself in battle by Paris (Il. 4.192-219, 11.504-520). In the Little Iliad and later epic tradition, Makhaon lost his life in the Troad at the hand of Eurypylos (Paus. 3.26.9; Quint. Smyrn. Posthom. 6.390-413). Even though Podaleirios had a smaller presence in the epics, he is remembered as the ancestor of Hippokrates as the only surviving son of Asklepios in the post-classical period (Tzetzes Chil. 7.155.936-958 Leone). Reading Emma and Ludwig Edelsteins' Asclepius: Collection and Interpretation of Sources, one might get the impression that the two sons were Asklepios' only children. In the chapter devoted to his descendants, this authoritative work collects ninety-seven testimonies, all of which acknowledge only the sons of the doctor.1 The chapter is divided into four subsections: 1. Makhaon and Podaleirios, 2. Makhaon, 3. Podaleirios, and finally 4. Asklepiads (Asklepios' descendants), among whom the most prominent is Hippokrates. This impressive compilation features Homeric and post-Homeric texts, meaning the epic tradition itself, Homeric commentaries, hexametric poetry, and prose works written by men educated in Homer. However, once we leave the literary circle influenced by the Iliad, a completely new picture emerges. In what follows, I discuss epigraphic evidence for ritual knowledge that constituted a tradition parallel to the Homeric and post-Homeric canon. This strand of orality recognized not only the two sons, Makhaon and Podaleirios, but additionally identified several daughters of Asklepios. Furthermore, I argue that enumeration of the children's names in the divine doctor's family was a ritualized oral prayer pattern shared by pilgrims visiting healing sanctuaries across the Mediterranean. Those repeatable elements created a recurring invocation
Book reviews, book chapters, and short notes by Hanna Golab
Meander, 2023
Streszczenie: Esej omawia wystawę Chroma w Metropolitan Museum w Nowym Jorku (od 5 czerwca 2022 d... more Streszczenie: Esej omawia wystawę Chroma w Metropolitan Museum w Nowym Jorku (od 5 czerwca 2022 do 26 marca 2023 r.), poświęconą polichromii w greckim rzeźbiarstwie. Autorka przedstawia pokrótce historię badań nad malowaniem rzeźb przez Greków oraz polityczny kontekst tego zagadnienia, w którym biel marmuru przenika się z wyobrażeniem o białej cywilizacji zachodnioeuropejskiej. Dodatkowo istotny amerykański kontekst wystawy tworzą rasistowskie ruchy skrajnej prawicy, które często odwołują się do stworzonej przez siebie wizji "białej" cywilizacji Grecji starożytnej. Słowa kluczowe: rzeźbiarstwo greckie; polichromia; Metropolitan Museum; recepcja antyku w USA
Summary: The essay describes the exhibition Chroma held at the Metropolitan Museum in New York (5th June 2022-26th March 2023) on the subject of polychromy in Ancient Greek sculpture. The author presents a short description of the history of research into the Greeks painting their sculptures as well as of the political context of this issue, in which the whiteness of the marble statues is intertwined with the idea of a white Western European civilization. Another important context is that of the American political landscape, in particular far-right, racist movements, which often appropriate symbols connected with what they see as "white" Greek civilization.
Cultural History of Music in Antiquity
The expression "popular culture" is most clearly associated with contemporary culture, and it cou... more The expression "popular culture" is most clearly associated with contemporary culture, and it could be considered anachronistic to use it as a tool for looking beyond assumptions ingrained in the field of Classical Studies. 1 Customarily, when a new literary or musical piece from antiquity is discovered, its editor assesses its "aesthetic quality" and, on the basis of this, determines whether it will be attributed to an anonymous author (if it is thought to have a high artistic value) or to popular culture (if it is deemed to have low artistic value). Thus in editions of Greek musical poetry anonymous songs are often grouped into adespota, "pieces without a master," and carmina popularia, "popular songs," as for example in the standard reference book Poetae Melici Graeci (Page 1962). The implication of such a distinction is that there was an individual author behind the good songs, while the bad ones were spontaneously generated in the faceless crowd-a distribution which suggests that "the crowd" could not host the creation of anything of high artistic value. Once corpora of popular music have been created in this way, a "popular style" can be elicited from it (as in Pordomingo 1996, though she admits that the corpus includes different genres and is a modern construct). But such an approach cannot analyze ancient pop without repeating the encoded hierarchies and biases implied by the initial creation of a set of carmina popularia.
The Classical Review, 2022
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The following contribution, by ASGLE member Hanna Golab, responds to our request for submissions ... more The following contribution, by ASGLE member Hanna Golab, responds to our request for submissions on pedgogical topics and ways that members have incorporated epigraphic texts into their teaching. It is the first of what we hope will become a more regular feature of future Bulletins. Teaching online in the spring semester of 2021, a year into the pandemic, was a balancing act. There was already a certain familiarity with Zoom and, at the same time, still more space for improvement. To engage my students in their second semester of ancient Greek, I decided to open our first few online classes with Greek graffiti, having found out only later that Peter Liddel has advocated for it in his article "Greek Inscriptions: insights and resources in the classroom and beyond" published in the Journal of Classics Teaching 18 (35), 2017. The simplest ones ('To Asklepios', 'Boubalion is beautiful', 'of Zeus') served as a good refreshment of cases and their basic functions. The silly ones ('a riddle: who is the father of Priam's children?') helped break the ice. And then there were also more ambitious ones that relied on word plays and puns, such as SEG 37-696 from Delos, which, to my surprise, started a conversation on whether the smell of the sea counts as malodor or perfume, and how it could change our interpretation of the text.
BMCR 2019.06.28, 2019
ed.), The Materiality of Text: Placement, Perception, and Presence of Inscribed Texts in Classica... more ed.), The Materiality of Text: Placement, Perception, and Presence of Inscribed Texts in Classical Antiquity. Brill Studies in Greek and Roman Epigraphy 11. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2018. Pp. xviii, 416. ISBN 9789004375505. €118,00. Reviewed by Hanna Golab, University of Miami ([email protected]) Preview [Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review.]
Teaching Documents by Hanna Golab
From epic bards, drinking songs, and classical tragedies to judicial speeches, funeral comedies a... more From epic bards, drinking songs, and classical tragedies to judicial speeches, funeral comedies and gladiators – ancient Greece and Rome knew how to put on a show! In this class we will cover the most important performative genres of antiquity. We will read texts from the archaic to the Roman Imperial period in English translation, paying special attention to the reconstruction of their performance and cultural contexts. We will also listen to modern reconstructions of ancient music and look at ancient art representing various types of spectacles. The course also introduces occasional comparative material from other cultures, ancient and modern.
This course traces the development of medical thought in the ancient world using a variety of tex... more This course traces the development of medical thought in the ancient world using a variety of textual and material sources. It investigates the pluralism of ancient medical traditions which include the Hippocratic corpus, ritual healing in the sanctuaries of Asclepius, medical experiments in Alexandria, pharmacology, and the works of Galen. Some of the covered themes are especially relevant to the study of medieval and early modern medicine (humoral theory, wandering womb and female hysteria), and to the contemporary medical practices (the Hippocratic oath, anatomy, prosthetics). To complete the picture the course also introduces ancient patients' perspective on the example of the healing narratives from Epidauros and Aelius Aristides' Sacred Tales.
Ancient Greek tragedies are the foundational texts of Western theater. Their influence reaches ov... more Ancient Greek tragedies are the foundational texts of Western theater. Their influence reaches over the centuries to our era of the globalized world: from revivals performed in London by Syrian refugees to tragedies re-composed in the traditional style of Korean opera (with a queer twist). Understanding the tragic ethos and aesthetics can shape not only our insight into our own society but can also help us in communicating across cultures. This course will serve as an overview of the three great tragedy writers, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, but will also include comparative material from other traditional theatres such as Japanese Nōh, and a worldwide reception of ancient tragedies. While working primarily with the translated texts, the course will pay a special attention to the performative aspect of Greek tragedies. We will discuss theatrical space, costumes, the art of acting in a mask, musical accompaniment and its modern reconstructions, and the expected emotional reactions of ancient audiences. The course fulfills writing requirements and has no prerequisites! Course Requirements and Expectations: Attendance is required.
This class aims to familiarize students with the two major Hesiodic poems, the Theogony and Works... more This class aims to familiarize students with the two major Hesiodic poems, the Theogony and Works and Days, and to read these in conjunction with a selection of the Homeric Hymns, which also describe the coming into being of the Olympian Order and the world as the audiences knew it. Topics to be considered through the course of the semester include Near Eastern precedents and parallels to the Hesiodic poems, early notions of authorship and persona theory, orality and literacy, the poetics of the catalogue, socioeconomic conditions in archaic Greece, and religious practices. Passages from Homer and the later lyric poets will also be read alongside the Hesiodic and Hymnic episodes. Where relevant, we will be considering the iconographic material of the archaic and classical period.
I answer my email during working hours (9-5) on business days. Office hours: Wednesdays 3-5 pm in... more I answer my email during working hours (9-5) on business days. Office hours: Wednesdays 3-5 pm in 610 Hamilton Hall, and by appointment on Zoom. ***This syllabus is liable to change throughout the semester*** Description This course will explore texts and themes in Hellenistic poetry: the emphasis will be on reading both widely and closely. There will be some engagement with current debates on Hellenistic poetry. Prerequisites GREK UN2101-GREK UN2102 or the equivalent. Grading Attendance, preparation, participation 25% Midterm exam 25% Final exam 25% Final paper 25% Regular attendance, careful preparation of assignments, and engaged participation in class discussion are crucial elements of this course. If you cannot attend class or were unable to do the assignment, please let me know beforehand. Classes will not be recorded. Two unexcused absences will drop your grade by a half. Final paper (10 pages max., 12-pt Times New Roman, double-spaced) should be based on a selected Greek reading read in class. The exact topic shall be of student's choosing. The topic and introductory section is due two weeks before the final paper is due (April 11 and 25 respectively). Midterm and final exams will be based on the readings done in class and will consist of translation, a possible grammar question, and a possible discussion question. Midterm will take place in class (March 5), while the final's date is TBD.
PhD Dissertation by Hanna Golab
This project focuses on a neglected subject of ancient Greek chorality in the Hellenistic and Rom... more This project focuses on a neglected subject of ancient Greek chorality in the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial periods. It confronts the customary belief that choral performances suffered a swift decline and subsequent death after the Late Classical age, and brings to light ritual choral poetry preserved in the extant epigraphic and papyrological material. This dissertation
MA Thesis (in Polish) by Hanna Golab
Conference Presentations by Hanna Golab
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Books by Hanna Golab
Peer-reviewed papers by Hanna Golab
Book reviews, book chapters, and short notes by Hanna Golab
Summary: The essay describes the exhibition Chroma held at the Metropolitan Museum in New York (5th June 2022-26th March 2023) on the subject of polychromy in Ancient Greek sculpture. The author presents a short description of the history of research into the Greeks painting their sculptures as well as of the political context of this issue, in which the whiteness of the marble statues is intertwined with the idea of a white Western European civilization. Another important context is that of the American political landscape, in particular far-right, racist movements, which often appropriate symbols connected with what they see as "white" Greek civilization.
Teaching Documents by Hanna Golab
PhD Dissertation by Hanna Golab
MA Thesis (in Polish) by Hanna Golab
Conference Presentations by Hanna Golab
Summary: The essay describes the exhibition Chroma held at the Metropolitan Museum in New York (5th June 2022-26th March 2023) on the subject of polychromy in Ancient Greek sculpture. The author presents a short description of the history of research into the Greeks painting their sculptures as well as of the political context of this issue, in which the whiteness of the marble statues is intertwined with the idea of a white Western European civilization. Another important context is that of the American political landscape, in particular far-right, racist movements, which often appropriate symbols connected with what they see as "white" Greek civilization.
or any other public gathering of a crowd, and with loud uproar censure some of the things that are said and done and approve others, both in excess, with full-throated clamor and clapping of hands, and thereto the rocks and the region round about re-echoing redouble the din of the
censure and the praise.” (Rep., VI, 492b-c, transl. J. Adams, 1969). A relationship of continuity, if not identity, is thus established between the theatre and other places of public gathering, and the “spectators” seem to behave in a comparable manner. This workshop proposes to focus on these multiple spectatorial practices in 5th-century Athens, in order to
better grasp the ways in which they accumulated, juxtaposed or compartmentalized various experiences acquired in multiple performance venues, in the broadest sense of the term.
In fact, theatergoers belonged to a variety of socio-cultural groups and subgroups (Roselli 2011; Robson 2016) and were confronted, in their public or private lives, with a variety of spectatorial practices and situations. As men (or women?), citizens and non-citizens, they importer their prior experience of performances into the theater. For example, free Athenian citizens – but perhaps also women (Budelmann & Power 2015) – possessed a common education and choral culture (Revermann 2006), and thus attended performances not as neophytes but as “insiders.” Athenian citizens, one might assume, also mobilized their political baggage as participants in the public life of their city. The characters of Aristophanes explicitly address the bouleutes, but the poet did not forget either the presence in the public of foreigners. Theater spectators were also actors and audience at the “judicial spectacle” given in the courts of the city (Villacèque 2013). They were also officiants or participants in religious rituals and festivals taking place in a public or private setting. They were fathers, brothers, uncles, sons, (and in the case of women, mothers and daughters), and received the spectacle as members of an oikos whose functions and affects were also socially determined.
Finally, it is assumed that they could also interpret the performance in light of their knowledge and practice of other art forms, especially visual arts (Hedreen 2007). In the theatre, poets can thus assign multiple “identities” or “roles” to spectators – two notions to be questioned – but we must also think about the ways in which the roles of “theater spectators”
could be summoned in other contexts than that of theatrical performance.
This symposium aims to reflect on these questions in a fresh way. It will take the form of a workshop with time slots planned for collective reflection on texts and methods, aiming
to bring out new critical strategies.