Abstract: Children in Wartime: Ancient Athens and Modern Europe
Lecturer: John Oakley This lecture considers the depiction of
children in Athenian funerary art during the time of the
Peloponnesian War - 431-404 BC. A close examination,
particularly of grave reliefs and white-ground lekythoi,
demonstrates how there was a sudden increase of interest in
representing children at this time. This new interest, the
speaker suggests, is due to the effects of the war, when the
life of each child became more important for the continuation of
the polis. Wars produced a similar situation in Europe during
the late 19th and early 20th century and resulted in pro-child
movements that were likewise reflected in art and literature.
Short bibliography and/or website on lecture topic: J. Neils and
J.H. Oakley, Coming of Age in Ancient Greece (2003) J.H. Oakley,
Picturing Death in Classical Athens: The Evidence of the White
Lekythoi (2004)