Choral Constructions in Greek Culture

Why did the Greeks of the archaic and early Classical period join in choruses that sang and danced on public and private occasions? This book offers a wide-ranging exploration of representations of chorality in the poetry, art and material remains of early Greece in order to demonstrate the centrality of the activity in the social, religious and technological practices of individuals and communities. Moving from a consideration of choral archetypes, among them cauldrons, columns, Gorgons, ships and halcyons, the discussion then turns to an investigation of how participation in choral song and dance shaped communal experience and interacted with a variety of disparate spheres that include weaving, cataloguing, temple architecture and inscribing. The study ends with a treatment of the role of choral activity in generating epiphanies and allowing viewers and participants access to realms that typically lie beyond their perception.

Deborah Tarn Steiner is the John Jay Professor of Greek in the Classics Department of Columbia University; her work focuses on archaic and early Classical Greek poetry, art and architecture and treats intersections between the different media. Earlier publications include articles on lyric poetry and archaic artefacts and books on metaphor in Pindar, myths and images of writing in early Greece, representations of sculpted images in Greek poets, philosophers and prose writers and a commentary on two books of the Odyssey.