A01=Tonio Holscher
adolescence
afterlife
ageing process
Ancient Greece
ancient Greek archaeology
ancient Greek gods
Ancient Rome
Author_Tonio Holscher
banquet
Category=AGA
Category=NHC
Category=NHD
civilisation
classical archaeology
classics
courage
death
Ephebes
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eros
eschatia
female bathing scenes in ancient Greece
female eroticism
fun
funeral
good cheer
Greek colony in southern Italy
gymnasia
hedonism
hero myths
heroism
hetaerae
homoerotic
homosexuality
jumping into the sea
laughter
living life to the full
love
Magna Graecia
male eroticism
male youth
Mario Nepoli
Mediterranean
mythology
necropolis
new interpretation of the Tomb of the Diver frescoes
Paestum
palestrae
party
physical elegance
Poseidonia
Romans
sarcophagus
settlers from Sybaris
sexuality
symbolism of the Tomb of the Diver
symposium
Tomb of Hunting and Fishing in Etruscan Tarquinia
Tomb of the Diver
Tyrrhenian sea
wealth
what can ancient Greek frescoes tell us about life in ancient times
what can painting tell us about convention and norms in ancient Greece
what is the meaning of the Diver of Paestum?
what was life like in 500 BCE
wilderness
wine
worldly life
zest for life
Product details
- ISBN 9781509568130
- Weight: 318g
- Dimensions: 145 x 218mm
- Publication Date: 19 Sep 2025
- Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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Since its discovery in 1968, the painting of a diver on a tomb in Paestum, originally the Greek colony of Poseidonia in southern Italy, has left viewers spellbound. It depicts a beautiful and enigmatic scene: a young man dives headfirst into the water from a cliff or tower. The image is joined by others from the same tomb depicting a banquet of young people drinking wine, playing games and enjoying music. Understanding this painting is often seen as a key to unlocking some of the mysteries of ancient Greek culture – and therein lies the puzzle. What is the meaning of the diver? Is it, as many have argued, a metaphorical representation of the passage from life to a world beyond?
The eminent art historian Tonio Hölscher rejects this view, arguing that there is nothing symbolic or metaphorical about the painting: the scenes celebrate the real lives of the Greek colonists of the early 5th century BC. The painting captures a young man’s spirited personality and pursuits during a life which may have been short, but was lived to the full. In a groundbreaking reversal of how the painting is typically interpreted, this book opens a window onto the world of Ancient Greece and its culture of athleticism, eroticism, love for nature and enjoyment of the sea. A joyful ode to youth, it is above all a unique portrait of the zest for life in Antiquity.
The eminent art historian Tonio Hölscher rejects this view, arguing that there is nothing symbolic or metaphorical about the painting: the scenes celebrate the real lives of the Greek colonists of the early 5th century BC. The painting captures a young man’s spirited personality and pursuits during a life which may have been short, but was lived to the full. In a groundbreaking reversal of how the painting is typically interpreted, this book opens a window onto the world of Ancient Greece and its culture of athleticism, eroticism, love for nature and enjoyment of the sea. A joyful ode to youth, it is above all a unique portrait of the zest for life in Antiquity.
Tonio Hölscher is Emeritus Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Heidelberg.
