Activity

Caminante, tú que pasas…

Characters:

Erinna of Telos

Theme: Etruscan, classical and paleochristian art. Characteristics and differences

Competencies

Competence in Linguistic Communication

Personal, social and learning to learn competence

Competence in cultural awareness and expressions

Subjects and year by Educational System

Spain > Classical culture > 3rd ESO > Continuity of cultural heritage. Literature, art and science

Enunciation

Erina was a Greek poet of the 4th century BC, whose most famous work contains 26 legible verses, out of a total of 54, corresponding to different parts of the poem. Originally, this poem, called The Distaff, was 300 lines long. It is a lament for the death of her friend Baucis and an evocation of a childhood lost and spent with her. She was born on the island of Telos, now Tilos, in Greece, near Kos, where she seems to have studied. She was much admired in her time and praised by later poets for the maturity of her writing despite her young age, as it seems she wrote this poem at the age of 15.
The Palatine Anthology attributes to Erinna some epitaphs dedicated to her friend Baucis, such as the one listed below. In this activity, you are proposed to compare tombs belonging to different civilizations and periods, starting with the Etruscans, going through the Greeks and the Romans, and reaching the paleochristian period.&nbsp; &nbsp; EPITAPH from the tomb of Baucis (Erinna, AP 7.712)
I am the tomb of Baucis, a young bride, and passing by the much-lamented grave, over the earth, you say this to Hades; &ldquo;You are malicious, Hades&rdquo; and to you, seeing these beautiful letters, they will tell of the most-cruel fate of Baucis how her father-in-law lit the girl upon her funeral pyre with the pine torches, those over which Hymen sang and you, oh Hymen, you changed the tuneful song of marriage into the mournful wail of a funeral.
Barclay, Julia (undated). "The honeycomb of Erinna: an examination of homoerotic love, loss, and lamentation" (retrevied on 02/06/2023) &lt;<a href="https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/classics/article/download/6320/6000/31631">https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/classics/article/download/6320/6000/31631</a>&gt;
Epitaphs were also common in Rome, although they were not in the same style as the Greek ones. Here are some examples of Roman tomb epitaphs. Note that they range from the simplest formulas to the invocation of the protective gods of the deceased person or the description of their achievements in life:&nbsp;
1- Sit terra levis (S.T.L.)&nbsp;
2- Requiescat in pace (R.I.P.)&nbsp;
3- Epitaph of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus:&nbsp;
CORNELIVS&middot;LVCIVS&middot;SCIPIO&middot;BARBATVS&middot;GNAIVOD&middot;PATRE&nbsp; PROGNATVS&middot;FORTIS&middot;VIR&middot;SAPIENSQVE&mdash;QVOIVS&middot;FORMA&middot;VIRTVTEI&middot;PARISVMA&nbsp; FVIT&mdash;CONSOL CENSOR&middot;AIDILIS&middot;QVEI&middot;FVIT&middot;APVD&middot;VOS&mdash;TAVRASIA&middot;CISAVNA&nbsp; SAMNIO&middot;CEPIT&mdash;SVBIGIT&middot;OMNE&middot;LOVCANA&middot;OPSIDESQVE&middot;ABDOVCIT&nbsp;
&laquo;Cornelius Lucius Scipio Barbatus, born of his father Gnaeus, was a strong and wise man, whose appereance guarded his many virtues, who was a consul, censor and magistrate among you. He conquered Taurasia, Cisauna, Sambio and subjugated Lucania and freed their prisoners.&raquo;&nbsp;
4- Epitaph from the tomb of Junia Rufina found in Baelo Claudia (C&aacute;diz): &laquo;To the Manes gods of Junia Rufina, daughter of Marcus&raquo;&nbsp;
In Etruria, on the other hand, it seems, based on the archaeological remains found, that it was not customary to include an epitaph, perhaps due to its form of burial inside large sepulchral chambers, which imitated a house, whose walls were profusely decorated with frescoes. Their tombs also had the effigy of the person or people buried in relaxed postures that imitated attendance at a banquet.&nbsp;
Regarding the first Christians, their tombs went through several stages &minus;as, on the other hand, also the Greek ones&minus; and in their tombs we can find symbols of Christianity &minus;such as the Chi Rho, the fish or the good shepherd, among others&minus; in the first centuries (2nd to 3rd century AD)- Biblical or mythological scenes can also be found, reconverted into Christian allegory, in the later ones (4th century AD).&nbsp;
Look at the images of these tombs and try to classify them, according to the Greek, Etruscan, Roman or paleochristian period. Give reasons for your answer.&nbsp;
<img src="http://inclusion.womenslegacyproject.eu/uploads/resume/attachment/258/Sepulcros1.jpg" alt="" width="444" height="720" />
<img src="http://inclusion.womenslegacyproject.eu/uploads/resume/attachment/259/Sepulcros2.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="383" />

Observations and context

Erinna's work is an elegy, a poetic composition that is not subject to a specific type of verse, but Erinna uses the dactylic hexameter, typical of homeric poetry.  

She writes in the Dorian dialect, loaded with Aeolicisms, a nod to her predecessor Sappho and to lyric poetry in general, given that Aeolian is the language in which this genre was born. From later times, ranging from the 4th century AD until Hellenistic and Roman times, other poets can be found, such as Anyte of Tegea, Moero of Byzantium, Nossis, Aristodama of Smyrna or Melinno. 

The elegy is a type of composition that has continued to be cultivated throughout history, and of which Erinna is, undoubtedly, a referent. 

The epitaphs were written on the stone that served as a funerary stela (tombstone) and used to attract the attention of the walker, so that they would stop to read and be interested in whoever was lying there. The graves could vary depending on the time and the social class to which they belonged. The sculptural motifs, the materials and the size varied. Some of them were true works of art. Students will establish the differences and similarities, if any, between the different periods. Then they will determine, as far as possible, the characteristics of each one. Depending on how the activity is planned, the final result can range from being depicted on a mural to being presented by means of a PowerPoint or similar. This activity can be done individually or as a team.

Description

Introducing art shown in tombs trough an epitaph attributed to Erinna in the Palatine Anthology and comparing it depending on the period or civilization, from Etruria to Greece and Rome and the paleochristian period. 

Caminante, tú que pasas…

Enunciation

Observations and context

Description

Answer

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