Description
This investigation relies on a rash bet: to write the biography of two of the most famous statues in Antiquity, the Tyrannicides. Representing the murderers of the tyrant Hipparchus in full action, these statues erected on the Agora of Athens have been in turn worshipped, outraged, and imitated. They have known hours of glory and moments of hardships, which have transformed them into true icons of Athenian democracy.The subject of this book is the remarkable story of this group statue and the ever-changing significance of its tyrant-slaying subjects. The first part of this book, in six chapters, tells the story of the murder of Hipparchus and of the statues of the two tyrannicides from the end of the sixth century to the aftermath of the restoration of democracy in 403. The second part, in three chapters, chronicles the fate and influence of the statues from the fourth century to the end of the Roman Empire. These chapters are followed by an epilogue that reveals new life for the statues in modern art and culture, including how Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union made use of their iconography. By tracing the long trajectory of the tyrannicides-in deed and art-Azoulay provides a rich and fascinating microhistory that will be of interest to readers of classical art and history.
Table of Contents
AcknowledgementsForeword by Paul CartledgeIntroductionPART ONEChapter 1First sceneThe murder of HipparchusBIRTHS AND GROWING PAINSThe Tyrannicides between glory and outrageChapter 2Date of birth unknownAntenor's TyrannicidesChapter 3A second birthThe statuary group produced by Critius and NesiotesChapter 4The artist's studio as a playgroundIconographic variations based on the Tyrannicides (c. 470-411 B.C.)Chapter 5The disorders of a thankless ageThe oligarchic revolution of 411 B.C. and its consequencesChapter 6Their finest hourThe revived glory of the statuary group in the restored democracy (403 B.C.)PART 2THE AGE OF REASON?The incomplete normalisation of the TyrannicidesChapter 7The age of honoursNew meanings for the monument in the fourth centuryChapter 8Model "notables"The Tyrannicides in the Hellenistic periodChapter 9Forever youngThe uses of the statuary group in the Roman periodEpilogueBorn Again.The statuary group's belated rebirth in the WestConclusionAppendixIconographic allusions to the Tyrannicides groupBibliography
