Nov. 7-14th
This week, Dr. Emmanuela Bakola, Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick, will be staying at the CHS and using the library. Currently, Emmanuela Bakola is working on a chapter entitled, “‘Aeschylus’, earth and the cult of the tomb: a case of fifth-century reception?”. Using key passages from Aristophanes’ Frogs, she argues that 5th-century audiences were aware of the fact that Aeschylus had the status of a cult hero in Sicily, as suggested by Vita Aeschyli 10-11. The reliability of this tstimony and the historicity of Aeschylus’ hero-cult has often been doubted by scholars, because of the alleged lack of corroborating evidence. However, Bakola argues that ‘Aeschylus” represenation in the Frogs provides telling corroborating evidence. She also argues that the representation of the poet in these terms reflects an understanding of a persistent theme of Aeschylean tragedy, namely its preoccupation with the idea of the relationship to humanity to the earth and its resources. While at the CHS, Emmanuela Bakola looks forward to discussing the subject of Aeschylus, hero-cult and the earth with the current scholars and fellows.
Dr. Emmanuela Bakola is visiting under a grant, awarded to scholars around the world that could benefit from access to the Center’s library resources and from consulting and working with fellows on a short-term basis. The CHS is currently accepting applications for visits from August 31st to December 18th, 2015. To learn more, visit the CHS website.