Taking Plato’s uses of the noun σῶμα as a starting point, this article presents an overview of the development of the Greek concept of body/σῶμα from Homer to the early 4th Century BCE by examining the uses of the word σῶμα in Greek poetry and literature. Four stations of the term’s semantic development are identified: (i) σῶμα as a corpse or a body of a moribund living being, (ii) σῶμα as a living mortal being, (iii) σῶμα in contrast with its parts and (iv) σῶμα in abstraction. It is argued that the development may be viewed as a continuous extension of the scope of the term, where none of the previous uses become obsolete. The Stations (iii) and (iv) also testify of an emergence of a new, abstract criterion for the use of the term. This conceptual history also partly explains the multifaceted use of the word in the 4th century BCE, setting the stage for further developments.Peer reviewe
