Vaios Vaiopoulos | National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (original) (raw)

Papers by Vaios Vaiopoulos

Examining the Roman Past Through Literary Sources: Contradictions and Convergence , 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,... more All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Studies Group. Communications concerning the papers contained in this book should be addressed to the Mediterranean Studies Group,

人文科学研究 キリスト教と文化 Humanities Christianity and Culture, Mar 31, 2013

State religion in Rome does not constitute the fruit or the refuge of any metaphysical or deep th... more State religion in Rome does not constitute the fruit or the refuge of any metaphysical or deep thinking; at least it had never been confined in that only aspect. Roman religion, plain and practical like Roman people, averse to ecstatic cult and mysticism, emphasizing on the right keeping of a ritual procedure performed at the right place and time, practically constituted one aspect of the state, the ius divinum, which preserved the pax deorum by means of appropriate ceremonial. In the whole structure tradition, auctoritas maiorum, inherited ancestral cult and belief, in one word past, played a principal role. On the other hand the interest in past, history (and the development of historiography) can by no means be considered as an early indication of what we nowadays call "science", nor even a manifestation of the early rationalism attested in Greek 5 th B.C. century which prepared the way for Herodotus, Thucydides and "Hippocrates". Roman historiography is from its birth interweaved with politics, and so it remained throughout its course in the history of philology: an ancilla to the political activities of ambitious generals who craved to pay a tribute to their activity in favour to Rome so that they could be established as political personas who justifiably enjoy high honors and offices, or as good-willing Roman patriots whose main concern had been the accomplishment of the mission of Roman global sovereignty. A (frequently moralizing Roman) historian or politician is characterized of a love for the past along with a tendency of rhetorical description of this past drawing his inspiration from examples

Mediterranean Studies, 2013

ABSTRACT After a short introduction to Ovid's Heroides, this article focuses on certain c... more ABSTRACT After a short introduction to Ovid's Heroides, this article focuses on certain cross-references between Heroides 6 and 12. These two (fictitious) letters, the first, written by Hypsipyle, the queen of Lemnos, and the second written by the Colchian princess, Medea, are addressed to the same man, Jason. Before abandoning Medea in order to marry Creusa, Jason had already abandoned Hypsipyle for Medea, or so Hypsipyle claims. This article shows the intertextual complementarity of the two letters through the presentation of an imaginary communication between the two heroines, as Medea seems to “answer” some points in Hypsipyle's epistle.

The infamous and formidable mythological figure of Medea has deservedly held an enduring appeal t... more The infamous and formidable mythological figure of Medea has deservedly held an enduring appeal throughout the ages. This has perhaps never been more true than in the Silver Age of Latin literature, when the taste for rhetorical excess and the macabre made the heroine, and especially her notorious acts of witchcraft and the slaughter of her own children in revenge for her husband’s infidelity, a particularly suitable and attractive topic for literary treatment. By examining the portrayal of this remarkable figure in the works of Ovid, Seneca and Valerius Flaccus, Virgo to Virago: Medea in the Silver Age offers a comprehensive study of the representation of the heroine, not only in this specific period, but in the entire Roman era, since these three authors provide the only substantial accounts of this figure to have survived in Classical Latin. Through close analysis of the texts, Virgo to Virago explores the characterisation of Medea, whose mythical life was inevitably overshadowed...

Universités grecques dans le contexte de la crise financière actuelle: immobilité et adaptation C... more Universités grecques dans le contexte de la crise financière actuelle: immobilité et adaptation Ce document offre un bref commentaire sur la situation présente de l'enseignement supérieur grec, sous le prisme de la crise financière actuelle qui sévit en Grèce. Tout d'abord, on va essayer de passer en revue les circonstances ayant entouré l'établissement de l'Université grecque afin de pouvoir mieux saisir la réalité des faits, étant donné que l'historique de l'évolution de l'enseignement supérieur va de pair avec des crises s'inscrivant dans un contexte historique, politique et social, tant au niveau local que dans un contexte européen. La deuxième phase de l'évolution de l'enseignement supérieur grec (1894-1911) a été marquée par l'adoption de nombreuses lois ayant pour objet de donner à l'Université grecque un caractère plus réaliste, et ce à travers l'expansion des domaines traités afin de répondre aux besoins des classes bourgeoises émergentes au début du 20ème siècle. La réforme de 1929 a suivi la restructuration financière grecque qui s'est opérée selon le modèle capitaliste. Chaque réforme proposée a été systématiquement soumise à l'influence de deux paramètres contradictoires ayant dominé l'histoire grecque moderne: d'une part la modernisation de l'État exige l'encadrement technologique de l'enseignement supérieur; d'autre part, les institutions traditionnelles insistent sur le modèle ethnocentrique et sur le classicisme. Un équilibre a pu être instauré après la réforme de 1932. Il est révélateur que cette loi a statué sur l'enseignement supérieur grec jusqu'à 1982 (50 ans). Par la suite, une réforme plus radicale a été engagée, y compris l'introduction de cinq catégories pour le personnel académique (conférencier, professeur adjoint, professeur adjoint titulaire, professeur agrégé, professeur). L'intervention de l'Etat dans la vie universitaire a été ainsi compromise et l'autonomie des universités renforcée. On assiste à l'émergence

Mediterranean Studies, 2020

abstract:The experience of hosting a Congress for the MSA changes a scholar's view of America... more abstract:The experience of hosting a Congress for the MSA changes a scholar's view of American scholarship, of the Mediterranean, and of Mediterranean studies. The "big size" model of MSA Congresses has brought a special meaning to the study of the Mediterranean, offering opportunities for scholars to view the region simultaneously in a tightly localized context and in the region's expansive context.

Routes, and roads, sea trips, military expeditions, long voyages, belong to a value system openly... more Routes, and roads, sea trips, military expeditions, long voyages, belong to a value system openly disapproved by the 'antimilitarist' elegiac poets of the Augustan era, Tibullus probably sounding like a prelude to ecological ideas of our times. As soon as the terror of Roman civil wars (first cent. BCE) is over, it is time for the development of an openly pacifistic poetry combined with a modus vivendi overtly disapproving war and also undermining politics and civil life in favour of private sphere. Augustan regime, once established, would have approved pacifism (at least within the Roman state) but would have been very sceptical about contempt for politics and traditional Roman values. Contradictions emerge when poets, like Propertius and Tibullus, have strong dependence bonds with representatives of the opposite pole, generals or magistrates clearly preferring political-military negotium to elegiac isolation in the private sphere of Epicurean otium (albeit contaminated by love). Propertius will try to overpass this contradiction by partly satisfying Maecenas's requests to compose a sort of 'national' poetry, although he took good care to cover national thematology under etiological themes or subtle irony: in his fourth book Propertius will 'squeeze' his elegy on Actium naval battle (4.6) among compositions only partly corresponding to Augustus's and Maecenas's Roman priorities: his aim will be to become a Roman Callimachus rather than an 'alter Homerus' (a second Homer) or a Vergil's simile. Maecenas has low personal ambitions regarding battles and expeditions, so he may be a good pretext for his protégé; Propertius avoids directly praising Octavian and military action by paying tribute to his peaceful friend (and poetry friend) Maecenas instead of Augustus, with the exception of the (dubious after all) el. 4.6 of course. But what Tibullus can do, being a cliens of a general, one personally responsible for the longae viae and the militia of which Tibullus himself suffers, as he complains at the beginning of el. 1.3? Equilibrium is easy to 1 This paper, presented in Crises and Networks in the Mediterranean World II. History, Society, and Literature, Colloquium co-organized by the Mediterranean Studies Group (Hitotsubashi University Tokyo),

Through the study of Messalla in the first book of the Corpus Tibullianum Vaios Vaiopoulos transp... more Through the study of Messalla in the first book of the Corpus Tibullianum Vaios Vaiopoulos transports us to Augustus’ time. This study attempts a review of Messalla’s presence in the first book of the Corpus Tibullianum, with special emphasis given, naturally, to elegy 1.7, written in honour of the general’s birthday. It is noted that though from the first elegy it is acknowledged that the poet and the general belong to two completely different worlds, the latter’s world is not overall rejected. In 1.3 we effectively have a switch from the obsequium to Delia to an obsequium to Messalla, while the presence of the general as patron in the first part is balanced by Amor’s patronage in the second. Similarly, the contrast of the presence of a representative of Romanitas in the bucolic dream of 1.5 is rectified thanks to Messalla’s divine epiphany. In 1.7 the reception of laus Messallae relies on the reading abilities of the general/reader and the reader in general, as they are essential for the comprehension of minor elements, such as the part played by the references to rivers, the identity of the father, the identification of Osiris, Bacchus and Messalla. It is maintained, finally, that the presence of the general can also be determined in the rest of the poems, thanks, for example, to the theme of viniculture. (taken from the Introduction of this collective volume, edited by Spyridon Tzounakas)

Militia and longae viae. Tibullus and Messalla Corvinus in the First Book of the Corpus Tibullian... more Militia and longae viae. Tibullus and Messalla Corvinus in the First Book of the Corpus Tibullianum (1st cent. BCE)

After a short introduction to Ovid's Heroides, this article focuses on certain crossreferences be... more After a short introduction to Ovid's Heroides, this article focuses on certain crossreferences between Heroides 6 and 12. These two (fictitious) letters, the first, written by Hypsipyle, the queen of Lemnos, and the second written by the Colchian princess, Medea, are addressed to the same man, Jason. Before abandoning Medea in order to marry Creusa, Jason had already abandoned Hypsipyle for Medea, or so Hypsipyle claims. This article shows the intertextual complementarity of the two letters through the presentation of an imaginary communication between the two heroines, as Medea seems to "answer" some points in Hypsipyle's epistle.

Annali della Scuola Medica Salernitana, Farmacopea antica e medievale, Atti del Convegno tenuto a Salerno il 30 novembre-2 dicembre 2006, Salerno Medica 2 (2008), pp. 45-57

Examining the Roman Past Through Literary Sources: Contradictions and Convergence , 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,... more All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Studies Group. Communications concerning the papers contained in this book should be addressed to the Mediterranean Studies Group,

人文科学研究 キリスト教と文化 Humanities Christianity and Culture, Mar 31, 2013

State religion in Rome does not constitute the fruit or the refuge of any metaphysical or deep th... more State religion in Rome does not constitute the fruit or the refuge of any metaphysical or deep thinking; at least it had never been confined in that only aspect. Roman religion, plain and practical like Roman people, averse to ecstatic cult and mysticism, emphasizing on the right keeping of a ritual procedure performed at the right place and time, practically constituted one aspect of the state, the ius divinum, which preserved the pax deorum by means of appropriate ceremonial. In the whole structure tradition, auctoritas maiorum, inherited ancestral cult and belief, in one word past, played a principal role. On the other hand the interest in past, history (and the development of historiography) can by no means be considered as an early indication of what we nowadays call "science", nor even a manifestation of the early rationalism attested in Greek 5 th B.C. century which prepared the way for Herodotus, Thucydides and "Hippocrates". Roman historiography is from its birth interweaved with politics, and so it remained throughout its course in the history of philology: an ancilla to the political activities of ambitious generals who craved to pay a tribute to their activity in favour to Rome so that they could be established as political personas who justifiably enjoy high honors and offices, or as good-willing Roman patriots whose main concern had been the accomplishment of the mission of Roman global sovereignty. A (frequently moralizing Roman) historian or politician is characterized of a love for the past along with a tendency of rhetorical description of this past drawing his inspiration from examples

Mediterranean Studies, 2013

ABSTRACT After a short introduction to Ovid's Heroides, this article focuses on certain c... more ABSTRACT After a short introduction to Ovid's Heroides, this article focuses on certain cross-references between Heroides 6 and 12. These two (fictitious) letters, the first, written by Hypsipyle, the queen of Lemnos, and the second written by the Colchian princess, Medea, are addressed to the same man, Jason. Before abandoning Medea in order to marry Creusa, Jason had already abandoned Hypsipyle for Medea, or so Hypsipyle claims. This article shows the intertextual complementarity of the two letters through the presentation of an imaginary communication between the two heroines, as Medea seems to “answer” some points in Hypsipyle's epistle.

The infamous and formidable mythological figure of Medea has deservedly held an enduring appeal t... more The infamous and formidable mythological figure of Medea has deservedly held an enduring appeal throughout the ages. This has perhaps never been more true than in the Silver Age of Latin literature, when the taste for rhetorical excess and the macabre made the heroine, and especially her notorious acts of witchcraft and the slaughter of her own children in revenge for her husband’s infidelity, a particularly suitable and attractive topic for literary treatment. By examining the portrayal of this remarkable figure in the works of Ovid, Seneca and Valerius Flaccus, Virgo to Virago: Medea in the Silver Age offers a comprehensive study of the representation of the heroine, not only in this specific period, but in the entire Roman era, since these three authors provide the only substantial accounts of this figure to have survived in Classical Latin. Through close analysis of the texts, Virgo to Virago explores the characterisation of Medea, whose mythical life was inevitably overshadowed...

Universités grecques dans le contexte de la crise financière actuelle: immobilité et adaptation C... more Universités grecques dans le contexte de la crise financière actuelle: immobilité et adaptation Ce document offre un bref commentaire sur la situation présente de l'enseignement supérieur grec, sous le prisme de la crise financière actuelle qui sévit en Grèce. Tout d'abord, on va essayer de passer en revue les circonstances ayant entouré l'établissement de l'Université grecque afin de pouvoir mieux saisir la réalité des faits, étant donné que l'historique de l'évolution de l'enseignement supérieur va de pair avec des crises s'inscrivant dans un contexte historique, politique et social, tant au niveau local que dans un contexte européen. La deuxième phase de l'évolution de l'enseignement supérieur grec (1894-1911) a été marquée par l'adoption de nombreuses lois ayant pour objet de donner à l'Université grecque un caractère plus réaliste, et ce à travers l'expansion des domaines traités afin de répondre aux besoins des classes bourgeoises émergentes au début du 20ème siècle. La réforme de 1929 a suivi la restructuration financière grecque qui s'est opérée selon le modèle capitaliste. Chaque réforme proposée a été systématiquement soumise à l'influence de deux paramètres contradictoires ayant dominé l'histoire grecque moderne: d'une part la modernisation de l'État exige l'encadrement technologique de l'enseignement supérieur; d'autre part, les institutions traditionnelles insistent sur le modèle ethnocentrique et sur le classicisme. Un équilibre a pu être instauré après la réforme de 1932. Il est révélateur que cette loi a statué sur l'enseignement supérieur grec jusqu'à 1982 (50 ans). Par la suite, une réforme plus radicale a été engagée, y compris l'introduction de cinq catégories pour le personnel académique (conférencier, professeur adjoint, professeur adjoint titulaire, professeur agrégé, professeur). L'intervention de l'Etat dans la vie universitaire a été ainsi compromise et l'autonomie des universités renforcée. On assiste à l'émergence

Mediterranean Studies, 2020

abstract:The experience of hosting a Congress for the MSA changes a scholar's view of America... more abstract:The experience of hosting a Congress for the MSA changes a scholar's view of American scholarship, of the Mediterranean, and of Mediterranean studies. The "big size" model of MSA Congresses has brought a special meaning to the study of the Mediterranean, offering opportunities for scholars to view the region simultaneously in a tightly localized context and in the region's expansive context.

Routes, and roads, sea trips, military expeditions, long voyages, belong to a value system openly... more Routes, and roads, sea trips, military expeditions, long voyages, belong to a value system openly disapproved by the 'antimilitarist' elegiac poets of the Augustan era, Tibullus probably sounding like a prelude to ecological ideas of our times. As soon as the terror of Roman civil wars (first cent. BCE) is over, it is time for the development of an openly pacifistic poetry combined with a modus vivendi overtly disapproving war and also undermining politics and civil life in favour of private sphere. Augustan regime, once established, would have approved pacifism (at least within the Roman state) but would have been very sceptical about contempt for politics and traditional Roman values. Contradictions emerge when poets, like Propertius and Tibullus, have strong dependence bonds with representatives of the opposite pole, generals or magistrates clearly preferring political-military negotium to elegiac isolation in the private sphere of Epicurean otium (albeit contaminated by love). Propertius will try to overpass this contradiction by partly satisfying Maecenas's requests to compose a sort of 'national' poetry, although he took good care to cover national thematology under etiological themes or subtle irony: in his fourth book Propertius will 'squeeze' his elegy on Actium naval battle (4.6) among compositions only partly corresponding to Augustus's and Maecenas's Roman priorities: his aim will be to become a Roman Callimachus rather than an 'alter Homerus' (a second Homer) or a Vergil's simile. Maecenas has low personal ambitions regarding battles and expeditions, so he may be a good pretext for his protégé; Propertius avoids directly praising Octavian and military action by paying tribute to his peaceful friend (and poetry friend) Maecenas instead of Augustus, with the exception of the (dubious after all) el. 4.6 of course. But what Tibullus can do, being a cliens of a general, one personally responsible for the longae viae and the militia of which Tibullus himself suffers, as he complains at the beginning of el. 1.3? Equilibrium is easy to 1 This paper, presented in Crises and Networks in the Mediterranean World II. History, Society, and Literature, Colloquium co-organized by the Mediterranean Studies Group (Hitotsubashi University Tokyo),

Through the study of Messalla in the first book of the Corpus Tibullianum Vaios Vaiopoulos transp... more Through the study of Messalla in the first book of the Corpus Tibullianum Vaios Vaiopoulos transports us to Augustus’ time. This study attempts a review of Messalla’s presence in the first book of the Corpus Tibullianum, with special emphasis given, naturally, to elegy 1.7, written in honour of the general’s birthday. It is noted that though from the first elegy it is acknowledged that the poet and the general belong to two completely different worlds, the latter’s world is not overall rejected. In 1.3 we effectively have a switch from the obsequium to Delia to an obsequium to Messalla, while the presence of the general as patron in the first part is balanced by Amor’s patronage in the second. Similarly, the contrast of the presence of a representative of Romanitas in the bucolic dream of 1.5 is rectified thanks to Messalla’s divine epiphany. In 1.7 the reception of laus Messallae relies on the reading abilities of the general/reader and the reader in general, as they are essential for the comprehension of minor elements, such as the part played by the references to rivers, the identity of the father, the identification of Osiris, Bacchus and Messalla. It is maintained, finally, that the presence of the general can also be determined in the rest of the poems, thanks, for example, to the theme of viniculture. (taken from the Introduction of this collective volume, edited by Spyridon Tzounakas)

Militia and longae viae. Tibullus and Messalla Corvinus in the First Book of the Corpus Tibullian... more Militia and longae viae. Tibullus and Messalla Corvinus in the First Book of the Corpus Tibullianum (1st cent. BCE)

After a short introduction to Ovid's Heroides, this article focuses on certain crossreferences be... more After a short introduction to Ovid's Heroides, this article focuses on certain crossreferences between Heroides 6 and 12. These two (fictitious) letters, the first, written by Hypsipyle, the queen of Lemnos, and the second written by the Colchian princess, Medea, are addressed to the same man, Jason. Before abandoning Medea in order to marry Creusa, Jason had already abandoned Hypsipyle for Medea, or so Hypsipyle claims. This article shows the intertextual complementarity of the two letters through the presentation of an imaginary communication between the two heroines, as Medea seems to "answer" some points in Hypsipyle's epistle.

Annali della Scuola Medica Salernitana, Farmacopea antica e medievale, Atti del Convegno tenuto a Salerno il 30 novembre-2 dicembre 2006, Salerno Medica 2 (2008), pp. 45-57

Die besonderen Anforderungen der zeitgenössischen Klassischen Philologie sind nur international z... more Die besonderen Anforderungen der zeitgenössischen Klassischen Philologie sind nur international zu bewältigen. Im Angesicht immer kleiner werdender Institute und der Gefahr der Vereinzelung stellt insbesondere der europäische Horizont eine zentrale Perspektive dar: Die Klassische Philologie der JGU Mainz als weltoffener Ort des Forschens und Lernens lädt daher DoktorandInnen aus Spanien, Italien und Griechenland ein, Themen, die für ihre persönliche Forschung relevant sind, in einem besonderen Umfeld zu präsentieren. Das Themenspektrum der DoktorandInnen und des wissenschaftlichen Komitees ist so breit, dass nahezu alle Bereiche der Klassischen Philologie abgedeckt sind: Neben literaturwissenschaftlichen Schwerpunkten wie Intertextualität oder gender studies sind Editionsprojekte ebenso vertreten wie Rezeptionsforschung zu Wissensarchiven oder modernen Filmen. Diese Vielfalt ermöglicht es, auch größere Perspektiven für die kurz-und mittelfristige Zukunft des Fachs zu entwerfen und zu diskutieren. Lokalitäten: 05.07.: Fakultätssaal im Philosophicum (01-185, über P4) 06.-07.07.: Senatssaal in der NatFak (7. Stock, Raum 07-232)

Editare Commentare Interpretare: Approcci multiformi al testo letterario Universitat Autonoma de... more Editare Commentare Interpretare: Approcci multiformi al testo letterario

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Kaatholische Universitaet Eichstaett-Ingoldstadt
Ionian University Corfu
Johannes Gutemberg-Universtaet Mainz
Università di Urbino Carlo Bo
Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata