Pindaric epinician song and Greek cultural memory. Olympian 1, Olympian 10, Isthmian 4

Syrigou, Theoni (2019). Pindaric epinician song and Greek cultural memory. Olympian 1, Olympian 10, Isthmian 4. University of Birmingham. M.A.

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Abstract

What I aim to do in this thesis is draw conclusions concerning the function of epinician song in Greek cultural memory. Epinician song is discussed against the background of the Homeric and Hesiodic traditions. The latter constitute important parameters of the socio-cultural framework within which Pindar composes his songs. When studying Pindaric epinician song, I focus on the relationship between culture and memory. Therefore, my study involves disparate elements such as foundational myth and its normative and formative impact, the role of the poet as a vector of memory in reconstructing the past in the present, a vis memory which sets the mechanisms of cultural evolution in motion, collective identity as a socio-cultural construct. In order to make sense of these elements, I have employed Jan Assmann’s theoretical model of cultural memory within which it finally becomes clear why these apparently disparate elements have been brought together by Pindar. In this thesis, three Pindaric epinician songs, Olympian 1, Olympian 10, and Isthmian 4 will be discussed as media of memory which fulfilled their various functions within a particular socio-cultural framework.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.A.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.A.

Supervisor(s):