1990/04/01 by Mark D. Stansbury-O'Donnell, Mark D. Stansbury-O’Donnell · 41 citations
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History #Ancient history #Archaeology #Art #Art history #Classical Antiquity Studies #Composition (language) #Computer science #Face (sociological concept) #Historical and Literary Studies #History #Literature #Painting #Philosophy #Sacrifice #Trojan
paper · doi:10.2307/505950
published in American Journal of Archaeology 94(2), 213-235 (Archaeological Institute of America)
openalex publication_date 1990/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Following the methods used previously in a reconstruction of the Iliupersis of Polygnotos in the Lesche of the Knidians at Delphi (AJA 93 [1989] 203–15), a new reconstruction of its companion painting, the Nekyia, is proposed. The composition of the Nekyia is found to be generally similar to that of the Iliupersis, with three predominant foci arranged triangularly on three walls: the sacrifice of Odysseus on the north, Achilles and Patroklos in the center of the western wall, and groups of heroes from both sides of the Trojan War on the south wall. The Nekyia differs from the Iliupersis in making much greater use of intermediate levels between the two main zones, resulting in a chiastic compositional structure. An analysis of the composition reveals individual responsibility and dike to be important themes as they were in the Iliupersis, but the idea of Greek unity in the face of both internal and external problems is also expressed by the choice and arrangement of figures around Achilles. A comparison of Pausanias's descriptions of individual figures with those found in fifth-century red-figure vase painting concludes that there are no certain quotations of the Delphi paintings on pots.