PORTRAIT OF A POET: ERINNA’S EKPHRASTIC EPIGRAM, AP 6.352

  • A Martin Stellenbosch University
Keywords: Hellenistic epigram, ekphrasis, female poets, visuality, artistic realism

Abstract

Although we know very little about the young female poet, Erinna, itis evident from the reception of later Hellenistic epigrammatists thatshe was highly respected and contributed greatly to the advancementof the Hellenistic aesthetic. However, her pioneering role in thedevelopment, if not the establishment, of the literary ekphrasticepigram has long been overlooked in favour of her short hexameterpoem and funerary epigrams on female lamentation and loss.This paper examines the numerous ways in which Erinna hadcontributed to the ekphrastic tradition and the manner in which herekphrastic epigram AP 6.352 may have served as a prototype forlater ekphrastic texts of the Hellenistic age.
Published
2021-03-11
Section
Articles