All in the family: the Apollonian triad in Attic art of the sixth and fifth centuries BC

Abstract

This dissertation examines the iconographical motif of the Apollonian triad in Attic art of the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Attic vase paintings constitute the chief evidence for this study, but other evidence, such as inscriptions, literary sources, sculptures and coins is considered, as well. My thesis focus on scenes without a clear mythological context, where the triad appears alone or accompanied by other, mostly, divine figures, and on what messages or information these images of the Apollonian triad convey. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion of the iconography and iconology of Attic vases, which enriches our understanding of Athenian socio-political and religious life and of Greek culture, more generally.