Home > Catalogue > Lexis > Num. 39 (n.s.) – Giugno 2021 – Fasc. 1 > Epic Tradition and Sophistic Innovation in the ‘Shame Culture’ of Thucydides’ Dialogue of the Melii and the Athenians

Lexis | Num. 39 (n.s.) – Giugno 2021 – Fasc. 1

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Research Article

Epic Tradition and Sophistic Innovation in the ‘Shame Culture’ of Thucydides’ Dialogue of the Melii and the Athenians

Valeria Melis    Università degli Studi di Cagliari; Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia    

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abstract

This paper aims at adding new pieces to the complex patchwork of knowledge on ‘shame’ in the ancient Greek world by analysing the meanings and the cultural framework of the terms αἰσχύνη and αἰσχρός in the Dialogue of the Melians of Thucydides. The contribution sheds light on the role played by the traditional concept of shame, mostly witnessed by the Homeric poems, in the elaboration of the concept made by the Athenians in accordance with the sophistic cultural climate of the second half of the fifth century BCE.

Published
June 30, 2021
Accepted
Dec. 21, 2020
Submitted
Oct. 5, 2020
Language
IT

Keywords: Aidōs • Sophistic • Hesiod • Shame culture • Thucydides • Dialogue of the Melians • Homer

permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/Lexis/2724-1564/2021/01/004

Copyright: © 2021 Valeria Melis. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.