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Event Description

Disability, the Body, and Ancient Greek Art

The notion of the ideal in ancient Greek art reigns supreme in art historical narratives. In this talk, I discuss the ways that this tradition of the ideal—invented as it was in the 18th century—has prevented us from seeing the diversity of bodies represented in the ancient world. By looking at a single statue that was dedicated on the Athenian Acropolis in the 6th century BCE, we can see how ancient Greeks themselves understood notions of beauty, performance, and the human body. 

Debby Sneed, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of classics at Cal State, Long Beach. She is also the field director of the Agora Excavations in Athens, run by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.