Papers by Federico Figura
Annali della Scuola Normale Superiore - Classe di Lettere e Filosofia, serie 5, vol. 16/2 (suppl.), 2024
Nel 2023 la missione archeologica della Scuola Normale Superiore ha avviato lo studio e lo scavo ... more Nel 2023 la missione archeologica della Scuola Normale Superiore ha avviato lo studio e lo scavo del cd. Torrione a NordEst del Tempio D. Portati alla luce negli anni Cinquanta da P. Griffo, i resti di questa struttura a pianta quadrangolare, denominata Torrione ma di fatto ancora ignota, sono stati finora solo parzialmente indagati. Dopo aver illustrato gli obiettivi delle nuove ricerche intraprese in quest’area, il contributo offre una preliminare analisi architettonica della costruzione e presenta i dati emersi dai saggi di scavo effettuati all’esterno e all’interno della struttura (saggi 13, 15). I primi risultati non confermano l’ipotesi avanzata da Griffo, secondo il quale il corpo di fabbrica potrebbe essere una torre difensiva del IV secolo a.C., e invitano piuttosto a considerare il Torrione in relazione al vicino Tempio D: non si esclude, infatti, che anche questa struttura sia stata costruita nel V secolo a.C., probabilmente senza alcuno scopo difensivo.
Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 30 (2), 2024
The contact between Greek artistic tradition and that of the local populations in the Northern Bl... more The contact between Greek artistic tradition and that of the local populations in the Northern Black Sea area has traditionally been addressed in oppositional and hierarchical terms, often employing categories determined by ethnic criteria. This trend is not only limited to this specific area, but is a phenomenon that concerns the so-called "frontiers" of the Greek world, such as Magna Graecia and Sicily. By adopting a non-hierarchical perspective, the well-known kouros from the gymnasium of Olbia is here reconsidered as case-study. This object has always puzzled scholars, often leading to rather bizarre interpretations. By contextualizing it in the local panorama and comparing it, in particular, with the kurgan stelae, the hybrid status of this artefact is highlighted, both from a formal, technical, and iconographic point of view. Since this conclusion suits better the archaeological evidence of Archaic Olbia, this analysis ultimately prompts a reconsideration of the materials from the Northern Black Sea poleis according to more flexible paradigms, enabling the dialectical exchange between various languages developing within the same "artistic space".
37. Agrigento: il tempio D e il suo santuario. Nuovi dati dagli scavi della Scuola Normale Superiore
KTISEIS Fondazioni d’Occidente. Intrecci culturali tra Gela, Agrigento, Creta e Rodi – Atti delle XIV Giornate Gregoriane Agrigento, Museo Archeologico 25-27 Novembre 2022. A cura di Valentina Caminneci, Matteo D’Acunto, Claudia Lambrugo, Maria Concetta Parello, 2024
Cassandra. Immagini letterari e figurativi (Quaderni di Otium 5), Giorgio Bretschneider Editore, 2023
This paper aims to discuss the interaction between iconography and mythopoetic process in relatio... more This paper aims to discuss the interaction between iconography and mythopoetic process in relation to the episode of the rape of Kassandra. In particular, the vascular examples parodying this myth are taken into account. Specific attention is devoted to a Paestan vase fragment signed by Assteas, in which the roles of the main characters are reversed. A first in-depth iconographic analysis of this example allows to outline the complexity of the parodic overturning and, more generally, to highlight the contribution of the painter in shaping the canonical representation of the prophetess.
Annali della Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. Classe di Lettere e Filosofia 14/2, Suppl., 2022
Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Römische Abteilung, 2022
In this paper, the problematic relationship between theatre and vase-painting is investigated by ... more In this paper, the problematic relationship between theatre and vase-painting is investigated by focusing on Assteas’ calyx-krater in Buccino. This depicts a parody of the rape of Kassandra. Since the scene has never before been the subject of an iconographic analysis, first a detailed comparison with other southern Italian depictions of the episode is expounded. Besides showing how Assteas’ example is rooted in the southern Italian tradition, all the visual elements that depart from the ‘canonical’ iconography of the rape are identified in order to better understand the geloion. This exercise also helps to challenge the assumption that the image’s origin lies in the treatment of the rape as found in drama. Comparing the Assteas fragment with the corpus of the phlyax vases, this article demonstrates how the former does not in fact represent a theatrical scene, as well as investigating how the comic effect was achieved differently in the visual field. Finally, an analysis of the literary sources entirely supports a non-theatrical origin for the parody, and instead reveals Assteas’ iconopoietic ability to use different comic devices.
Lokroi Epizephyrioi. Il museo della polis, 2022
ASNP, suppl., serie 5, 12/2, pp. 49-63, 2020
Annuario della Scuola Archeologica di Atene e delle Missioni Italiane in Oriente, 2019
In this article the lekanis lid 27232 attributed by Beazley to the Berlin Painter and on display ... more In this article the lekanis lid 27232 attributed by Beazley to the Berlin Painter and on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Palazzo Nieddu del Rio (Locri) is reconsidered. The interpretation of the scene depicted on the lid is still uncertain. The iconographical analysis of the object makes it possible to recognize in the episode painted the rape of Amphitrite. The lekanis is then considered in relation to the context in which it was dedicated and rediscovered, i.e. the Mannella sanctuary. The vase and its iconography are examined in comparison to the other objects dedicated in the sanctuary, including the pinakes. Through this analysis, the semantic value that this vase acquires in the sacred sphere of the Mannella sanctuary is investigated and, moreover, some remarks on the function of myth in this specific context are presented.
Oltre le mura, fuori dalla città. Locri e il suo territorio (Atti della Giornata di Studi, maggio 2018), 2019
Contenuto in (pp. 39-41): 'Locri Survey 2017: Materiali e contesti dalla Preistoria al Medioevo'
... more Contenuto in (pp. 39-41): 'Locri Survey 2017: Materiali e contesti dalla Preistoria al Medioevo'
The paper provides a historical and topographical insight into the ancient territory of Lokroi Epizephyrioi. In particular, it focuses on a specific area of the ancient rural settlement, located a few hundred meters from the urban center. Particular attention is placed on the typology of ceramic materials found during the survey.
ASNP, suppl., serie 5, 10/2, 2018
Online publications by Federico Figura
I.Erythrai I 15. Greek text with critical apparatus, English translation and a commentary focusin... more I.Erythrai I 15. Greek text with critical apparatus, English translation and a commentary focusing on historic and economic problems posed by the document. All technical information has been provided along with existing critical editions and selected bibliography. The text is marked up using the EpiDoc encoding conventions.
Conference Presentations by Federico Figura
"Regional Migration and the Making of the Ancient Greek World", a Conference of the ERC Project MIGMAG, 6th-8th June, 2024. Institut für Klassische Archäologie, Wien, 2024
For the history of Greece, one of the main 'anchor' dates is 480 BCE. In that year, the Persian a... more For the history of Greece, one of the main 'anchor' dates is 480 BCE. In that year, the Persian armies led by king Xerxes occupied large parts of Greece. For the history of Greece, both before and after the Persian wars, the watershed of 480 has developed as one of the main anchors on which the interconnected fabric of relative dates seems to depend. The solidity of this framework is the topic of this conference. The conference brings together specialists in subdisciplines of Greek history and archaeology to share, debate, and test shifting views on the significance of 480 on the chronology of Greek history of the Archaic and Classical periods.
Kassandra's Revenge. Assteas' Calyx-Krater from Buccino and the Importance of Visual Parody in Paestan Vase-Painting - "Greek and Pre-Roman Iconography", Session 4H of the AIA Meeting (Virtual Event), 07/01/2022
"È andata come dicevo io. Cassandra: mito, contesti e significati" - Convegno Internazionale di S... more "È andata come dicevo io. Cassandra: mito, contesti e significati" - Convegno Internazionale di Studi, Perugia 7-8 ottobre 2021
C. Julius Caesar, Oikistes of Corinth, and His Portrait, in "Portraiture, Imagery, and Identity in the Roman World", Session 2E of the AIA Meeting (Virtual Event), 05/01/2021
Talks by Federico Figura
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Papers by Federico Figura
The paper provides a historical and topographical insight into the ancient territory of Lokroi Epizephyrioi. In particular, it focuses on a specific area of the ancient rural settlement, located a few hundred meters from the urban center. Particular attention is placed on the typology of ceramic materials found during the survey.
Online publications by Federico Figura
Conference Presentations by Federico Figura
Talks by Federico Figura
The paper provides a historical and topographical insight into the ancient territory of Lokroi Epizephyrioi. In particular, it focuses on a specific area of the ancient rural settlement, located a few hundred meters from the urban center. Particular attention is placed on the typology of ceramic materials found during the survey.