Colour and Identity in Ancient Greece

Abstract

This thesis explores the possible conventional use of colour for the representation of identity in ancient Greece from the sixth to the fourth centuries BC. The question is considered for broad identities based on gender, age, and mortal or mythological status, as well as more specific identities comprising figure types and representations of individuals. Colour is recorded for the physical characteristics and dress of the human form as it is represented in stone sculpture, terracotta figurines, and white-ground lekythoi. While previous studies have focused on analysing traces of colour through visual observation, studying ancient literature, or conducting programmes of scientific analysis, there has been less focus on the significance of colour in ancient Greece. One aspect that has received little attention is the role colour played in the representation and expression of identity. Therefore a need to perform a comparative systematic analysis across different categories of material evidence was identified. Data was collected from both publications and online sources and resulted in a corpus of material comprising 407 objects. The presence of patterns in the data was established through criteria based searches. The proportions of colours present for both physical characteristics and dress were analysed separately before the impact of identity was considered. These emerging patterns of colour selection are then examined with reference to comparative archaeological material and textual evidence for a greater understanding of the historical and social context in which these colours were employed in ancient Greece. No universal conventions for the application of colour based on the identities of the figures being represented were identified, but some trends suggest that colour choice was at least sometimes driven by considerations related to the projection of a specific identity. For instance, non-naturalistic colours were sometimes used for the physical characteristics of adult male mythological figures. It was also generally observed that the use of colour does not reinforce the projection of identity through dress type but instead cuts across dress boundaries. Comparative evidence from textual sources also suggests that colour may have functioned semiotically in ancient Greece.