Pagkalos, Manolis E.

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   University of GroningenReview of Luca Castagnoli, Paola Ceccarelli, Greek Memories: Theories and Practices.Pagkalos, Manolis E.Published in:Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewIMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite fromit. Please check the document version below.Document VersionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordPublication date:2021Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research databaseCitation for published version (APA):Pagkalos, M. E. (2021). Review of Luca Castagnoli, Paola Ceccarelli, Greek Memories: Theories andPractices. Bryn Mawr Classical Review, [BMCR2021.03.14]. https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2021/2021.03.14/CopyrightOther than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of theauthor(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons).The publication may also be distributed here under the terms of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, indicated by the “Taverne” license.More information can be found on the University of Groningen website: https://www.rug.nl/library/open-access/self-archiving-pure/taverne-amendment.Take-down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediatelyand investigate your claim.Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons thenumber of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum.Download date: 08-06-20229/3/2021 Greek Memories: theories and practices – Bryn Mawr Classical Reviewhttps://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2021/2021.03.14/ 1/6BMCRBryn Mawr Classical ReviewBMCR 2021.03.14Greek Memories: theories and practicesLuca Castagnoli, Paolo Ceccarelli, Greek Memories: theories and practices. Cambridge;New York: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. x, 433. ISBN 9781108471725 £90.00.Review byManolis E. Pagkalos, University of Groningen. m.pagkalos@rug.nlPreview [Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review.]This collection of articles is the result of a series of Research/Work-In-Progress Seminarsand a conference on Ancient Greek memory organised by the Department of Classicsand Ancient History of Durham University a decade ago. The publication of the volumeis in line with the surge of studies focused on the workings of memory and theconstruction of collective identities in Classical Antiquity. The book consists of sixteenchapters that approach different practices of memory in a range of literary genres (fromepic and lyric poetry and theatre to oratory, historiography and philosophy) and with abroad chronological span (from Homer to Claudius Aelianus and Plotinus). The chaptersare organised chronologically in four parts that cover the Archaic to the Imperialperiods (c. 3rd century CE). Unfortunately, the focus is unevenly distributed with half ofthe book dedicated to the Classical period; in contrast, the Archaic, Hellenistic, andImperial periods are less discussed. An introduction by the editors and a concludingchapter complete the book. The volume is further enhanced by a list of references andtwo Indices (Locorum and Rerum).Castagnoli and Ceccarelli introduce the book with a thorough and well-structuredIntroduction that will benefit everyone interested in memory theories. Mostimportantly, it offers a brief, yet concise, overview of several key themes and ideasbehind the theories and practices of memory in the ancient Greek world. Theintroduction is full of references to ancient sources, discussing many concepts(‘memory’, ‘cognition’, ‘time’ and ‘history’) and their social diffusion while addressingthe impact of writing on practices of memory. The discussion touches on the divinity of‘memory’ (Mnemosyne) in antiquity as well as the role of monuments and other ‘sites ofmemory’. The editors conclude with an outline of the sixteen chapters of the volumeand underline its aims: to trace the links between concepts and practices of memory inGreek thought as part of the broader cultural and literary framework in which theyoriginated (47-48).9/3/2021 Greek Memories: theories and practices – Bryn Mawr Classical Reviewhttps://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2021/2021.03.14/ 2/6Part I of the volume is dedicated to the Archaic and early Classical periods. In Chapter 1,Lilah Grace Canevaro discusses how and to what extent women act as conservators ofmemory in the Iliad. She uses as a comparative parallel the Kosovo Cycle of South Slavicepic, which demonstrates similar patterns outside the Greek tradition, to argue thatwomen occupy a central role – and through it, power – in the Homeric poems. However,this power is limited, mirroring the limitations of their agency. Women can preservememories only during their lifetime, and for the longevity of the object they create. Theimportance of their role becomes clear through their immortalisation in the epic itself.Peter Agócs (Chapter 2) discusses how poetry helped define attitudes to the written textsby discussing the oral culture of the early fifth century, the Homeric epics, the Attictragedians, and epic poetry (Pindar). He focuses on how memory was constructed anddisseminated in a mainly oral performance culture (epic and song) and how suchpractices were negotiated during the transmission to an ‘inscribed logos’ culture. Hedescribes first the complicated relationship between performative song and memory,and second, the role of the written text as a memory – both as an imprint of somethingorally created and as a site of memory per se – that is unavoidably linked with itsreperformance as voice.Part II forms the largest group of articles in the volume and is dedicated to the classicalperiod. The first three chapters explore memory in Classical Athens. Paola Ceccarelli(Chapter 3) focuses on memory (and oblivion) in Greek tragedy and its central rolewithin the civic community, and questions how far the potential to (re)shape collectivememories was realised. Through the analysis of Sophocles’ Ajax and Euripides’Suppliant Women she explores how the tragedians interacted with memory andreciprocity both in their plays and as part of a process of synthesis. Ceccarelli’s analysishighlights similar trends and contemporary developments in the Athenian socio-political sphere such as the increase in inscriptions (from written laws to proxenydecrees and treaties). Silvia Milanezi (Chapter 4) addresses the role of memory in comicpoetry (Aristophanes) arguing for the importance of Mnemosyne and the Comic Musesin dramatic competitions. Memory is dramatised, as part of the play, but also extendsbeyond the play itself, as poetic memory of previous dramatised experiences (119), totrain the collective (musical) memory of the audience. Milanezi explores how comicpoetry sharpened the audience’s memory as an intentional form of recollection thatadded to the reception of dramatic contests and became an institutionalised tool toinform Athenian civic memory.In Chapter 5, Mirko Canevaro argues for the power that memory holds in oratory infourth-century BCE Athens and its potential for moulding collective and individualmemories in public discourse. Orators often turn to the past as a strategy of invokingauthority in their arguments and demonstrating participation in shared culturalmemory. Equally, these strategies have made it possible to manipulate memory throughappeals to a presumably remembered past, which is presented as common knowledge,even if it is constructed. Canevaro intelligently demonstrates that the power of the(ab)use of the past is clearly realised by orators, creating further possibilities in the fieldof social memory. Catherine Darbo-Peschanski (Chapter 6) examines the role of memory9/3/2021 Greek Memories: theories and practices – Bryn Mawr Classical Reviewhttps://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2021/2021.03.14/ 3/6in historiography to identify different forms of memory, results of different temporalframeworks, which are in turnchecked against broader patterns of cultural memory.She approaches historiography under the lens of creating historia, and argues forchanges in motifs that influence the narratives of the past (162): ‘the time of justice’(Herodotos); the ‘time of human nature’ (Thucydides and Xenophon); and ‘the time offate/fortune’ (Polybios). For Darbo-Peschanski memory is an educational factor but isnot always a direct agent in historiography.In Chapter 7, Andrea Capra focuses on forgetting. He delves into Plato’s texts and inparticular Phaedrus, where the philosopher uses Sappho’s Ode to Helen to discuss thejuxtaposition between memory (μνήμη) and oblivion (λήθη) in the debate about‘love’.The concept of ‘oblivion’ is then explored both in Plato’s work and its culturalcontext, highlighting not only roots to poetic memory but also merits – what Capraterms ‘lyric oblivion’ (179, 194). Memory and oblivion are not just the two sides of thesame coin but are inextricably linked through a feedback loop. Ynon Wygoda’scontribution (Chapter 8) follows the same trajectory and explores the concept of‘forgetfulness’ as a case of Socratic irony. The chapter has great synergy with thearguments and discussion of Capra just before. Now, the discussion revolves around keypassages of Meno and Protagoras and underlines the pedagogical power of forgetting.Just as in Capra’s argument, where through oblivion one remembers more (and better),through forgetting one can understand and reach higher philosophical levels such asdialectical inquiry.Richard King (Chapter 9) continues the analysis of memory in the work of Plato. Hediscusses Philebus approaching memory (μνήμη) and recollection (ἀνάμνησις), withouteither of which the other cannot exist, and he evaluates their role as part of the dialecticleading toward the ‘successful conduct of human life’ (217). He closely examines eachconcept and their relationships in Plato’s expanded philosophical framework, toapproach them as part of an evolving dialectic on human ‘soul’, where memory, sensesand images are interlinked. Following the development of the concept of memory inphilosophy, Luca Castagnoli (Chapter 10) proceeds on to the works of Aristotle, the firstof the philosophers to dedicate a treatise to memory (On Memory and Recollection). InAristotle’s theory, (mental) images are central to approaching and understandingmemory; through them, we can remember. Thus, the past – what one senses andperceives – is the only subject of memory. Aristotle approached memory in humanterms and moved away from its divine provenance as personified in Mnemosyne orMneme who were omniscient and the sources of human inspiration. Thus, Castagnoliargues that Aristotelian thought should be viewed as a conceptual break in Greekcultural tradition.Part III deals with the Hellenistic period. Claude Calame (Chapter 11) criticallyapproaches Theocritus’ Idyll 18 to argue about the legitimisation of contemporarycircumstances in Ptolemaic Egypt through the use of a heroic (and poetic) past – thearkhaîa – that is part of Greek cultural memory. The Idyll celebrates the wedding ofHelen and Menelaus, but Theocritus, through the epic theme (of the past) and languageand the choral parts (ritual), creates an allusion to another idealised yet real couple:9/3/2021 Greek Memories: theories and practices – Bryn Mawr Classical Reviewhttps://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2021/2021.03.14/ 4/6King Ptolemy and Berenice. Textual manifestations and ritual performance make thisan epithalamios choros rather than logos that brings the past to the present andrepurposes the myth. In Chapter 12, Emidio Spinelli explores the centrality of memoryin Epicurean philosophy. Memory and memory practices are central to communicatingEpicureanism. Everyone can benefit from Epicurus’ doctrines through thememorisation (and the process of memorising) of the epitome of his writings. In thiscontext, however, memory acquires a physical status as it alters one’s physicaldisposition (in many ways a development of earlier philosophical thought) throughwhich the highest conduct of life is attainable.Part IV examines the Imperial period. Steven D. Smith (Chapter 13) approaches thework of Aelian, whose aim was to memorialise Greek culture and was a deliberate,intentional act. He considers De natura animalium as an example of contemporarydebates on memory and mnemonics. More importantly, he proposes that Aelian’streatise can be understood as a subtle critique of contemporary politics and, therefore,is a manifestation of the understanding of the manipulation of public memory duringCaracalla’s reign. Riccardo Chiaradonna’s (Chapter 14) and Stephen R. L. Clark’s(Chapter 15) contributions complement each other and deal with the philosophy ofPlotinus. On the one hand, Chiaradonna focuses on the Enneads and analyses memoryas part of Plotinus’ metaphysical and epistemological approach. The philosopher worksin the context of previous philosophical work but in contrast to Aristotle believes thatmemory and recollection can reveal the hierarchical metaphysical and cognitive levelsof one’s soul. On the other hand, Clark explores the concepts of remembering andforgetting in Plotinus’ philosophy, which are approached as art and can be activelypursued rather than passively experienced. All elements, memory, recollection andforgetting can help one ascend from the intelligible world to actual reality and reach thedivine origin.Part V concludes the book with Maria Michela Sassi’s paper (Chapter 16). She offers anoverview of Greek philosophical approaches on practices of memory and the naturalprocess of memorising in the longue durée from Pre-Socratic to Hellenistic philosophy.She also highlights the development of philosophical thought on memory and sointeracts with many other chapters of the volume.The volume is well edited, and typographical errors are almost nonexistent. Chaptersmostly follow a clear structure with pronounced sub-chapters, except for Chapters 5, 13and 14, which might have benefitted from such an approach, providing consistency tothe volume’s contents.Papers are of high quality and offer thought-provoking argumentative angles. Thevolume also enjoys some coherence and thematic overlap and allows for tracingdevelopments in understanding and theorising about memory in classical antiquity.Some chapters (Agócs, Canevaro, Castagnoli, Calame, Sassi) can be picked out asexempla of the potential of exploring memory to approach the ancient world. However,the reviewer felt that the volume had two main weaknesses that hinder the overallaims: (1) although the authors reflect on the role of memory, often they do not come to9/3/2021 Greek Memories: theories and practices – Bryn Mawr Classical Reviewhttps://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2021/2021.03.14/ 5/6conclusions but only provide thoughts; and (2) the focus of many contributions isrestricted to literary or philosophical examples, creating a rift between ‘theories’ and‘practices’ (even if these are implied). Thus, the volume remains largely unconnected tosimilar discussions in the field of memory in antiquity, contrary to the wishes of itseditors.Overall, the book is a valuable source of information and contemporary research trendsin the field of memory studies in Classics directed towards how Greeks conceptualisedmemory and how this informed memory practices, but it feels like a missed opportunity.The synergy between the contributions is restricted to the structure of the volume,which is otherwise in limited dialogue with similar studies on memory, intentionalhistory, and reception/use of the past.Table of Contents  List of Contributors List of Abbreviations Introduction, Luca Castagnoli and Paola Ceccarelli [pp. 1-41]Part I. Archaic and Early Classical Configurations of Memory 1. Women and Memory: The Iliad and the Kosovo Cycle, Lilah Grace Canevaro [pp. 53-67] 2. Speaking in the Wax Tablets of Memory, Peter Agócs [pp. 68-90]Part II. Memory and Forgetting in the Classical Period 3. Economies of Memory in Greek Tragedy, Paola Ceccarelli [pp.93-114] 4. Aristophanes and his Muses, of Memory in a Comic Key, Silvia Milanezi [pp. 115-135] 5. Memory, the Orators, and the Public in Fourth-Century BC Athens, Mirko Canevaro[pp. 136-157] 6. The Place and Nature of Memory in Greek Historiography, Catherine Darbo-Peschanski [pp. 158-178] 7. Lyric Oblivion: When Sappho Taught Socrates How to Forget, Andrea Capra [pp. 179-194] 8. Socratic Forgetfulness and Platonic Irony, Ynon Wygoda [pp. 195-215] 9. Memory and Recollection in Plato’s Philebus, R. A. H. King, [pp. 216-235] 10. Is Memory of the Past? Aristotle on the Objects of Memory, Luca Castagnoli [pp. 236-255]Part III. Hellenistic Configurations of Memory 11. Hellenistic Cultural Memory: Helen and Menelaus Between Heroic Fiction, RitualPractice, and Poetic Praise of the Royal Power (Theocritus 18), Claude Calame [pp. 259-277] 12. Physiologia Medicans: The Epicurean Road to Happiness, Emidio Spinelli [pp. 278-291]9/3/2021 Greek Memories: theories and practices – Bryn Mawr Classical Reviewhttps://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2021/2021.03.14/ 6/6Part IV. The Imperial Period: Continuity and Change 13. Claudius Aelianus: Memory, Mnemonics, and Literature in the Age of Caracalla,Steven D. Smith [pp. 295-309] 14. Plotinus on Memory, Recollection and Discursive Thought, Riccardo Chiaradonna[pp. 310-324] 15. Plotinus: Remembering and Forgetting, Stephen R. L. Clark [pp. 325-339]Part V. Envoi 16. The Greek Philosophers on How to Memorise – and Learn, Maria Michela Sassi [pp.343- 361] References Index Locorum Subject Index

Review of Luca Castagnoli, Paola Ceccarelli, Greek Memories: Theories and Practices.

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Review of Luca Castagnoli, Paola Ceccarelli, Greek Memories: Theories and Practices.

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