War and warriors

Professor Francois Lissarague, Director of the Centre Louis Gernet in Paris, is a specialist on Attic imagery. His work is concerned with the interpretation of the images used, teaching that rather than being the result of individual flights of fancy, they are part of a system.

In his lecture entitled Image & Society? War & Warriors in Attic Iconography, Professor Lissarague explored the ways in which pieces of armour are depicted by Greek vase painters, both on and off the body. Arms waiting to be used, or despoiled from bodies in battle, were shown to substitute for the body of the warrior. The detailed decoration on shields, helmets and cuirasses was seen to resonate with motifs found elsewhere in the image in order to suggest the place of the warrior in the wider society.

In an eye-opening performance, Lissarague revealed many unfamiliar pots to the audience, but even in the case of the most familiar he revealed details previously unnoticed.

Professor Lissarague‘s books include Aesthetics of the Greek Banquet: Images of Wine and Ritual, and Greek Vases: the Athenians and their Rituals.