Ancient World Seminar: Angela Cinalli (University of Rome), "Exploring the paths of the itinerant artists along the festivals at the dawn of Hellenism"

Abstract

In the pre-Hellenistic and Hellenistic cultural milieu, Athens appears as an upfront scenario at the center of artistic itinerancy. Welcoming renowned virtuosi in the contesting programs at festivals and letting its best performers shine outwards as well, Athens succeeded in confirming and exploiting its reputation as the heart of the Hellenic culture and in showing a leading voice at shaping the agonistic routes and networks of itinerant professionals and artistic associations. In our excursus on artistic mobility and international/intercultural relations distinctively featuring the Athenian cultural sphere, we draw the profiles of itinerant performers and pinpoint their trajectories on the map of cultural and social history. We are allowed to describe a pluri-directional horizon spreading out from Athens and focusing on its background. Remarkable outcomes can be produced at attempting a reassessment of the performative life on-the-move with Athens at the very center of the main cultural networks. Under the common denominators of the Athenian agonistic machine and artistic travelling, the city cultural politics and power relations among territories can be better defined.

About the speaker

Angela Cinalli is Professor at University of Rome. She specializes in Greek Epigraphy, Literature history and culture, the Hellenistic world, Performance, Ancient Music and theatre, Greek and Roman Archaeology of History of Art, Funerary Culture and Cyrene and Cyprus.