Figures of Antiquity and their Reception in Art, Literature and Music

Alexander the Great, Caesar, Caligula, Cicero, Cleopatra, Diogenes, Hypatia, Leonidas, Lucretia, Nero, Sappho and Socrates—all famous women and men from Antiquity who have fascinated across the centuries that divide us from them. We encounter them again and again in literature, art, music, film and new media forms such as graphic novels.

The 96 contributions in Brill’s New Pauly Supplement 7: Historical Figures from Antiquity written by an international team of scholars depict the survival of these great characters from Antiquity to the modern world. Each article presents an overview of the latest research on what we know concerning the lives of the historical person or legendary figure and then recounts the reception of these figures throughout history, giving special attention on the viewpoints in the early modern and contemporary periods. Turning the spotlight on the leitmotifs of established images and theories allows the reader to reassess the importance of these figures in our history and culture.

Translated and edited by Duncan A. Smart and Chad M. Schroeder