Synaesthesia and the Ancient Senses

Synaesthesia and the Ancient Senses

Like us, the ancient Greeks and Romans came to know and understand the world through their senses. Yet sensory experience has rarely been considered in the study of antiquity and, even when the senses are examined, sight is regularly privileged.

Synaesthesia and the Ancient Senses presents a radical reappraisal of antiquity’s textures, flavors, aromas, sounds and sights. It offers both a fresh look at the ancient world and an opportunity to deepen the reading of classical literature.

This book will appeal to readers in classical society and literature, philosophy, and social and cultural history. All Greek and Latin is translated, and technical matters are explained for the non-specialist. The introduction sets the ancient senses within the history of aesthetics and the subsequent essays explore the senses throughout the classical period and on to the modern reception of classical literature.