Videos by Matteo Zaccarini
Trailer di presentazione del graphic novel "Trenta" (in lavorazione), fiction storica a fumetti s... more Trailer di presentazione del graphic novel "Trenta" (in lavorazione), fiction storica a fumetti sulla vicenda dei 'Trenta Tiranni' ad Atene, 404-403 a.C.
Teaser trailer of the "Thirty" graphic novel (work in progress), a historical fiction on the 'Thirty Tyrants' of Athens, 404-403 BC.
https://youtu.be/KkPQx1j_oLo 46 views
Papers by Matteo Zaccarini
R. Beaton and N. Gaul (eds), The Greek Revolution of 1821. European Contexts, Scottish Connections (Edinburgh Leventis Studies 12), Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2024
In the early nineteenth century, British individuals and institutions successfully pursued an agg... more In the early nineteenth century, British individuals and institutions successfully pursued an aggressive policy of acquiring antiquities. The removal of the Parthenon marbles and the proposed reproduction of the temple itself as the National Monument of Scotland, planned to commemorate the Napoleonic Wars, represent two major, interrelated components of this process, driven by a strong sense of competition between Britain and France and, at the same time, between Scotland and England. This paper explores the cultural and ideological process behind the intended reconstruction of the Parthenon in Edinburgh in the early nineteenth century.
R. Beaton and N. Gaul (eds), The Greek Revolution of 1821. European Contexts, Scottish Connections (Edinburgh Leventis Studies 12), Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2024
In the early nineteenth century, British individuals and institutions successfully pursued an agg... more In the early nineteenth century, British individuals and institutions successfully pursued an aggressive policy of acquiring antiquities. The removal of the Parthenon marbles and the proposed reproduction of the temple itself as the National Monument of Scotland, planned to commemorate the Napoleonic Wars, represent two major, interrelated components of this process, driven by a strong sense of competition between Britain and France and, at the same time, between Scotland and England. This paper explores the cultural and ideological process behind the intended reconstruction of the Parthenon in Edinburgh in the early nineteenth century.
In the early nineteenth century, British individuals and institutions successfully pursued an agg... more In the early nineteenth century, British individuals and institutions successfully pursued an aggressive policy of acquiring antiquities. The removal of the Parthenon marbles and the proposed reproduction of the temple itself as the National Monument of Scotland, planned to commemorate the Napoleonic Wars, represent two major, interrelated components of this process, driven by a strong sense of competition between Britain and France and, at the same time, between Scotland and England. This paper explores the cultural and ideological process behind the intended reconstruction of the Parthenon in Edinburgh in the early nineteenth century.
Klio, Nov 9, 2023
This paper explores Xenophon’s depiction of Cyrus the Great as a ruler in
the Cyropaedia. Xenoph... more This paper explores Xenophon’s depiction of Cyrus the Great as a ruler in
the Cyropaedia. Xenophon’s Cyrus is often regarded by the scholarship as an ideal,
benevolent leader sincerely concerned with virtue, friendship, and honour-related
dynamics. However, it is clear that Cyrus equally resorts to malicious and divisive
means, employing psychological subjugation, fostering mutual rivalry among his
friends, and weakening his subjects. His actions ultimately arouse fear, envy, and
insecurity, as Cyrus displays some of the typical features of a tyrant. Xenophon possibly
meant to show how Cyrus, by successfully balancing different and contrasting
aspects, succeeded in maintaining power no matter the costs by ‘domesticating’ his
subjects.
Klio, 2023
This paper explores Xenophon’s depiction of Cyrus the Great as a ruler in the Cyropaedia. Xenopho... more This paper explores Xenophon’s depiction of Cyrus the Great as a ruler in the Cyropaedia. Xenophon’s Cyrus is often regarded by the scholarship as an ideal, benevolent leader sincerely concerned with virtue, friendship, and honour-related dynamics. However, it is clear that Cyrus equally resorts to malicious and divisive means, employing psychological subjugation, fostering mutual rivalry among his friends, and weakening his subjects. His actions ultimately arouse fear, envy, and insecurity, as Cyrus displays some of the typical features of a tyrant. Xenophon possibly meant to show how Cyrus, by successfully balancing different and contrasting aspects, succeeded in maintaining power no matter the costs by ‘domesticating’ his subjects.
Klio, 2023
This paper explores Xenophon’s depiction of Cyrus the Great as a ruler in
the Cyropaedia. Xenopho... more This paper explores Xenophon’s depiction of Cyrus the Great as a ruler in
the Cyropaedia. Xenophon’s Cyrus is often regarded by the scholarship as an ideal,
benevolent leader sincerely concerned with virtue, friendship, and honour-related
dynamics. However, it is clear that Cyrus equally resorts to malicious and divisive
means, employing psychological subjugation, fostering mutual rivalry among his
friends, and weakening his subjects. His actions ultimately arouse fear, envy, and
insecurity, as Cyrus displays some of the typical features of a tyrant. Xenophon possibly
meant to show how Cyrus, by successfully balancing different and contrasting
aspects, succeeded in maintaining power no matter the costs by ‘domesticating’ his
subjects.
The Classical Quarterly, 2022
Through a detailed analysis of Xenophon's defence against a charge for hybris among the Ten Thous... more Through a detailed analysis of Xenophon's defence against a charge for hybris among the Ten Thousand, this paper discusses violence, reputation and hierarchy in Greek military and social contexts. Contrary to other recent treatments of the episode, the study highlights the centrality of honour/shame dynamics and of desert in establishing and upholding social order, showing that these notions are found consistently in numerous examples as early as Homer. Addressing the apparent lack of strict discipline in Greek armies, the paper concludes that shame and peer pressure had a strong normative power in acknowledging and reconciling personal claims and common interests within a group.
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, 2022
The most famous polis in ancient Greece, Athens developed complex social, administrative, and pol... more The most famous polis in ancient Greece, Athens developed complex social, administrative, and political structures starting from the Archaic period; it rose to prominence during the fifth century, but was eventually defeated by Sparta. Despite frequent conflicts and financial troubles, during the fourth century the Athenian democracy reached its most developed form. Frequently caught in the struggles between Alexander's successors, Athens was not a protagonist of the Hellenistic period but managed to attract the favor of major external powers, enjoying long-lasting fame as a cultural hub with a glorious past.
Axon, 2020
This Athenian casualty list of the Erechtheis tribe, c. 460-459 BCE, is an important source for o... more This Athenian casualty list of the Erechtheis tribe, c. 460-459 BCE, is an important source for our understanding of the Athenian military effort in the Eastern Mediterranean in the central decades of the 5th century. While it can be safely dated and contextualized on the basis of Thucydides, the inscription highlights the selective and biased narrative provided by the literary sources. Furthermore, along with other similar documents, this list provides valuable information on the rationale and aims of the public celebration of the war dead in Athens, on the identity of the civic body, and on the inclusion of various social classes in the celebration of the polis.
Emotions Through Time: From Antiquity to Byzantium, 2022
This chapter investigates the presentation and construction of anger in the War of Troy, a rework... more This chapter investigates the presentation and construction of anger in the War of Troy, a reworking in vernacular Greek of Benoît de Saint-Maure’s Roman de Troie. Taking my cue from the prominent role of emotions in characterising the protagonists of the work, I show that the War of Troy has its own emotional trajectory, distinct from Benoît’s ‘original’. Anger is particularly relevant because it is both genre-specific (as a feature of epic) and gender-specific (as a male characteristic). I show that the warrior’s anger conforms, in its essentials, to Aristotle’s account of the emotion and at the same time is depicted as a collective experience, forging a community, in Rosenwein’s sense. The anonymous poet skilfully navigates such conventions, by choosing a well-defined vocabulary within the semantic area of cholē or bile, which entails a widespread medical understanding of the bodily basis of anger. The case studies of Achilles and Hector show that rhetoric and characterisation are tightly tied to this semantic choice, as both the discourse of anger and its acting out on the part of the heroes are shaped by its physiology.
Histos, 2019
Review of the volume
G. Geraci, A. Marcone, Storia antica Dalla Preistoria al primo espandersi dell’Islam (Milano: Mondadori Università), 2021
capp. 7 (Le guerre persiane), 8 (Atene e Sparta verso la guerra), 9 (La guerra del Peloponneso), ... more capp. 7 (Le guerre persiane), 8 (Atene e Sparta verso la guerra), 9 (La guerra del Peloponneso), 10 (Le lotte per l’egemonia)
Jacoby Online. Brill's New Jacoby - Second Edition, 2020
New edition, translation, and commentary for the BNJ2
The Classical Review, 2021
The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 2014
The Classical Review, 2019
The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 2016
Rivista di Filologia e Istruzione Classica, 2020
This article proposes a new interpretation of the figure of Aristides, the Athenian politician kn... more This article proposes a new interpretation of the figure of Aristides, the Athenian politician known as 'the Just'. The study shows how Aristides' fame was far from undisputed for the whole 5th century. Starting from the 4th century we find more evidence of his iconic attachment to justice: however, his reputation is always context-dependent and inevitably associated to Athens' domination over the Greeks. It is only in distant sources that he becomes a moral paragon. But to his contemporaries, Aristides was never a symbol of virtuous and ideal justice: the notion of distributive justice effectively explains his questionable fame. Questo articolo propone una nuova interpretazione della figura di Aristide, il politico ateniese noto come 'il Giusto'. Lo studio mostra come la fama di Aristide fosse tutt'altro che irreprensibile nel V secolo. Dal IV secolo in poi troviamo tracce più solide del suo iconico collegamento alla giustizia: tuttavia, la sua reputazione è inevitabilmente legata al contesto e associata al dominio di Atene sui Greci. È solo nelle fonti distanti che egli diviene un esempio di moralità. Ma per i propri contemporanei Aristide non fu mai un simbolo di giustizia virtuosa e ideale: il concetto di giustizia distributiva spiega efficacemente la sua discutibile fama.
Axon. Iscrizioni storiche greche, 2020
This Athenian casualty list of the Erechtheis tribe, c. 460-459 BCE, is an important source for o... more This Athenian casualty list of the Erechtheis tribe, c. 460-459 BCE, is an important source for our understanding of the Athenian military effort in the Eastern Mediterranean in the central decades of the 5th century. While it can be safely dated and contextualized on the basis of Thucydides, the inscription highlights the selective and biased narrative provided by the literary sources. Furthermore, along with other similar documents, this list provides valuable information on the rationale and aims of the public celebration of the war dead in Athens, on the identity of the civic body, and on the inclusion of various social classes in the celebration of the polis.
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Videos by Matteo Zaccarini
Teaser trailer of the "Thirty" graphic novel (work in progress), a historical fiction on the 'Thirty Tyrants' of Athens, 404-403 BC.
https://youtu.be/KkPQx1j_oLo
Papers by Matteo Zaccarini
the Cyropaedia. Xenophon’s Cyrus is often regarded by the scholarship as an ideal,
benevolent leader sincerely concerned with virtue, friendship, and honour-related
dynamics. However, it is clear that Cyrus equally resorts to malicious and divisive
means, employing psychological subjugation, fostering mutual rivalry among his
friends, and weakening his subjects. His actions ultimately arouse fear, envy, and
insecurity, as Cyrus displays some of the typical features of a tyrant. Xenophon possibly
meant to show how Cyrus, by successfully balancing different and contrasting
aspects, succeeded in maintaining power no matter the costs by ‘domesticating’ his
subjects.
the Cyropaedia. Xenophon’s Cyrus is often regarded by the scholarship as an ideal,
benevolent leader sincerely concerned with virtue, friendship, and honour-related
dynamics. However, it is clear that Cyrus equally resorts to malicious and divisive
means, employing psychological subjugation, fostering mutual rivalry among his
friends, and weakening his subjects. His actions ultimately arouse fear, envy, and
insecurity, as Cyrus displays some of the typical features of a tyrant. Xenophon possibly
meant to show how Cyrus, by successfully balancing different and contrasting
aspects, succeeded in maintaining power no matter the costs by ‘domesticating’ his
subjects.
Teaser trailer of the "Thirty" graphic novel (work in progress), a historical fiction on the 'Thirty Tyrants' of Athens, 404-403 BC.
https://youtu.be/KkPQx1j_oLo
the Cyropaedia. Xenophon’s Cyrus is often regarded by the scholarship as an ideal,
benevolent leader sincerely concerned with virtue, friendship, and honour-related
dynamics. However, it is clear that Cyrus equally resorts to malicious and divisive
means, employing psychological subjugation, fostering mutual rivalry among his
friends, and weakening his subjects. His actions ultimately arouse fear, envy, and
insecurity, as Cyrus displays some of the typical features of a tyrant. Xenophon possibly
meant to show how Cyrus, by successfully balancing different and contrasting
aspects, succeeded in maintaining power no matter the costs by ‘domesticating’ his
subjects.
the Cyropaedia. Xenophon’s Cyrus is often regarded by the scholarship as an ideal,
benevolent leader sincerely concerned with virtue, friendship, and honour-related
dynamics. However, it is clear that Cyrus equally resorts to malicious and divisive
means, employing psychological subjugation, fostering mutual rivalry among his
friends, and weakening his subjects. His actions ultimately arouse fear, envy, and
insecurity, as Cyrus displays some of the typical features of a tyrant. Xenophon possibly
meant to show how Cyrus, by successfully balancing different and contrasting
aspects, succeeded in maintaining power no matter the costs by ‘domesticating’ his
subjects.
As a matter of fact, Ephialtes’ actual political role and personality are far from clear, as different sources present him from rather opposite perspectives. In his political activity, he is almost inevitably accompanied by famous contemporary personalities, variously identified as Themistocles, Aristides, or Pericles. Moreover, his death, which occurred soon after the reforms (cf. Marr 1993), becomes a sort of ‘cold case’ in antiquity, as distant sources seem to identify his previously unknown murderer. We know almost nothing about Ephialtes’ life, and little more of his death – and the latter seems rather suspicious. ‘His’ reforms often seem credited to other major politicians, for whom Ephialtes acts as a frontman, proxy, or just a manipulated puppet. From the late 5th century, and especially during the 4th and later, information on Ephialtes seems to multiply, possibly in connection with the substantial and dramatic changes which affected Athenian domestic politics. A partially similar process has been detected in the tradition on Solon as a putative father of democracy (cf. Blok-Lardinois 2006): Ephialtes’ case, however, deals with an entirely different context and period.
Our understanding of the reforms, their important consequences on Athenian democracy, and their contemporary background, depend on how we interpret the evidence on Ephialtes. As this is largely the product of later reworking, it is possible to revise our approach and consider the matter from a different perspective, focused on democratic ideology and reception, rather than on the reconstruction of ‘historical’ events. The ‘myth’ of Ephialtes and his reforms seems to have been constructed a posteriori in order to legitimize or criticize late 5th- and 4th-century events and, especially, to deal with the problem of clearly identifying ta patria nomina and the archaioi nomoi (the ‘laws’ of the ancestors: cf. Bearot 2013: 173), essentially an inconsistent set of reworked customs. The case-study of Ephialtes allows to consider different sources as independent traditions which cannot be mutually supplemented. I propose to present the results of this approach, and the new perspectives it suggests, as a 20-minutes oral presentation.
I will focus on paintings allegedly attributed, often by very distant sources, to Polygnotus, Mikon, Panainus and connected to the Persian wars. My aim will be to discuss recurring features and problems, such as attribution, position, and reception: even these ‘painted wars’ perhaps suffer from the reconstruction of a Greek identity in the Roman era. Defining their context is essential before using them as a source.
The stoa of the Herms is famous for its three inscribed herms celebrating Athenian victory. The stoa is known mostly through later literary sources variously relating its building and fruition circumstances: however, its reception by the tradition has been subject to such a radical mutation that the ‘cultural identity’ of the monument is actually twofold, and its study requires a careful work of source criticism. The stoa Poikile is famous for its impressive painted scenes, known in detail from literary tradition and attributed to renowned artists. Despite its disputed archaeological identification, literary evidence on the Poikile does not allow a precise reading of the monument itself and of its decorations, which have received different dating and historical assessments by the moderns.
Both stoai have been, most often, linked to the statesman Cimon, son of Miltiades, as part of an alleged, grand ‘propaganda’ public programme. A reassessment of relevant sources will actually show how the aims, understanding and significance of both monuments can be effectively detached from Cimon and re-positioned through a close association to their contemporary historical and cultural background. Patronage by, and involvement of, major political and artistic figures is, at best, doubtful and possibly rests on anachronistic assumptions. It is fundamental to recognize the patterns of enrichment of tradition, as well as the different cultural perspectives through which sources present these monuments: this may allow to understand how both stoai were conceived and perceived within their contemporary context while, at the same time, focusing on some aspects of their later reception in antiquity.
Despite this, the story is rather popular among the sources, and represents a rather interesting case of how the tradition grew up and enriched a narration, adding recurring themes. The most famous among these is by far the alleged retrieval of Theseus’ bones on Scyros, to which Plutarch in particular devotes attention. Such story, carefully built to conform to a ‘standard’ process of heroic bones retrieval, is particularly striking because it is found in various versions, and features a rather rich set of elements: oracular disposition, divine omen, lavish festivals and a sanctuary built to house Theseus’ remains in Athens.
It is possible to analyse and dissect the story in its various and probably mostly independent variations, narrative elements and sub-elements. Although the tale of Theseus’ ‘return’ from Scyros is very popular through the tradition, such analysis leads to various questions: what could an early 5th century Athenian actually know about Scyros? In the 470s, was Theseus really Athens’ lost hero to be retrieved?
Thucydides carefully built an account which makes conflict between Athens and Sparta look absolutely inescapable, necessary, and built on inherent ethnical differences between the Athenians and the Spartans. Such account is in turn fundamental to underline the sense and scope of the Peloponnesian war, and thus to magnify Thucydides’ work and ‘his’ war. This is shown t¬hrough an analysis and comparison of Thucydides’ choice of words and syntax, which makes the Ithome episode a rather complex and layered literary piece shaped to match what many Athenians living in years of the Peloponnesian war expected to hear. On the other hand, comparison with the roughly contemporary account by Aristophanes on the same theme shows a rather different view, probably built with an opposite aim. The two accounts show how a probably minor ‘historical fact’ could become a centrepiece in a posteriori propaganda, and eventually produce a chaotic reworking of the information in later tradition."
Criticism of the conceptual coherency of the notions of 'Serious game' and 'Edutainment' in the field of Digital Cultural Heritage, underlining both the vast potential offered by digital tools and the lack of control and of a serious methodological approach to a fast developing technology.
The near-complete absence of contemporary sources means that the analysis is based mainly on later traditions. This study argues that present scholarship needs to be revised in favour of source criticism that reinterprets the surviving evidence, by setting it against its own contemporary context and by highlighting divergences among the sources.
The ancient tradition has reshaped and reinvented the memory of the period under study along with that of Cimon. By peeling away a complex of layered traditions, biased by cultural stereotypes and later perspectives, this monograph questions traditional approaches to the 5th century BC, opening new ways to address and interpret Classical Greek history.