Antiquity in Print: Visualizing Greece in the Eighteenth Century

Daniel Orrells explores how the ancient world was visualized for Enlightenment readers, highlighting the emergence of antiquarian scholarship as a primary technology for envisioning ancient Greek culture. He examines the visionary experimentalism of antiquarian book production, particularly in relation to the contentious nature of ancient texts, and its impact on the invention of classical studies. The Quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns led to the theorization of the relationship between ancient text and material and visual culture, which would become foundational questions in classical studies and neoclassical aesthetics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 13 June 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Daniel Orrells delves into the ways in which the ancient world was visualized for Enlightenment readers, shedding light on the emergence of antiquarian scholarship as a primary means of envisioning ancient Greek culture during a time when travel to Greece was limited due to its status as part of the Ottoman Empire. Orrells presents a fresh perspective on the rise of antiquarianism in the 18th century, highlighting its significance for the development of classical studies. The book focuses on the experimentalism of antiquarian book production, particularly in relation to the controversial nature of ancient texts. The Quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns, which erupted in the 18th century, ignited the interest of intellectuals, antiquarians, and artists such as Giambattista Vico, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, the Comte de Caylus, James Stuart, Julien-David Leroy, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and Pierre-François Hugues d'Hancarville in the potential of printed engravings of ancient art and archaeology to visually narrate historical events. These figures explored the relationship between ancient texts and material culture, laying the foundation for fundamental questions at the core of classical studies and neoclassical aesthetics.

Weight: 618g
Dimension: 234 x 157 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350407770