Book contents
- Bronze Sculpture in the Classical World
- Bronze Sculpture in the Classical World
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1Notes from the Field
- Chapter 2Notes from Underground
- Chapter 3Out of the Rabbit Hole
- Chapter 4Early Histories
- Chapter 5Cast from Life?
- Chapter 6Celebrating and Collecting
- Chapter 7Pausanias in Athens
- Chapter 8Byzantion, Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul
- Not the Conclusion
- Figures
- Bibliography
- Greek Index
- Latin Index
- Main Index
Chapter 1 - Notes from the Field
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 July 2026
Book contents
- Bronze Sculpture in the Classical World
- Bronze Sculpture in the Classical World
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1Notes from the Field
- Chapter 2Notes from Underground
- Chapter 3Out of the Rabbit Hole
- Chapter 4Early Histories
- Chapter 5Cast from Life?
- Chapter 6Celebrating and Collecting
- Chapter 7Pausanias in Athens
- Chapter 8Byzantion, Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul
- Not the Conclusion
- Figures
- Bibliography
- Greek Index
- Latin Index
- Main Index
Summary
Chapter 1: Notes from the Field. Homer and Hesiod describe how Hephaistos worked in his fabled smithy. Later texts from Athens to Rome to Byzantion cover myth, history, and technology and introduce Pliny, Pausanias, Christodoros, and many other writers. We shall consider how they responded to bronze statues from what was to them ancient Greece, and their interest in lifelikeness, alongside their fascination with production – from wax to alloy to surface detail – and the effects of corrosion. Authors faced the conundrum of statues that looked alive because they were made of bronze or that were prevented from living for the same reason. Some statues were protectors, others were threatening enough to be punished, and a few were even destroyed so as to remove their evil influence.
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- Bronze Sculpture in the Classical WorldFrom Text to Context to Technology, pp. 7 - 54Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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