Thursday, 26th October 2023, 7:30 p.m.
Prof. Rosa Andújar (King's College London)
“Smelling the Gods in Greek Tragedy”
Location: Columbia University Faculty House
Prof. Andújar has kindly shared the abstract of the talk with us:
This paper examines divine fragrances in Greek tragedy. I focus on two moments in which characters claim to recognize the presence of a god through smell: the closing scene in Hippolytus in which the dying protagonist notes the apparition of Artemis (Eur. Hipp. 1391-3) and the moment preceding the parodos in Prometheus Bound, in which Prometheus becomes aware of the entrance of the chorus of Oceanids (Aesch. PV 115). I position the two scenes in relation to recent work on the cultural history of olfaction and the ways in which smell played a key role in establishing religious meaning and the experience of the divine. I argue that these scenes provide a unique insight into two crucial issues for the Greek dramatic stage: the ambiguously material tragic gods and the equally unstable materiality of the sense of smell. Not only do these two scenes draw attention to the fluctuating corporeality of the Greek gods, but they also illuminate the strangeness of relying on the ambiguous sense of smell as a primary means of recognition on the stage. As I contend, these two scenes furthermore enable us to rethink the general “smellscape” of ancient Greek drama and the ways in which tragic aromas and stenches differed from those found in satyr play and Old comedy. In a genre so heavily invested in visual and aural spectacle, it is easy to overlook the manner in which smell contributed to the experience of fifth-century Athenian theatre.
The evening will begin with drinks at 5:45 PM at the Faculty House (location TBA on the screens in the lounge), followed by dinner at 6:15 PM.
Please confirm by October 18th (midday) if you will be attending any of these events in person by emailing our Rapporteur José Antonio Cancino Alfaro (jc5502@columbia.edu).
We hope to see many of you!
Yours sincerely,
Marcus Folch
Joel Lidov