Epeios, mythology of a craftsman. Economies of mountain, economy of wood in ancient Greece.

Publisher: FedOA - Federico II University Press 

Series: Clio. Essays in History, Archaeology and Art History

Pages: 189

Language: Italian

Abstract: In the archaic Greek society, both mountain and wood economies characterized ‘open’ contexts. These latter are the most difficult to reconstruct, because of both the marginality and perishability of the production of this specific material culture. In addition, a historical reconstruction of these contexts is limited by both heavy ideological burdens and cultural prejudices. Therefore, only mythical and typological representations, which cannot be interpreted as self-representations, can help to define an historical profile of these contexts. The aim of this book is in fact to reappraise the mythical story of Epeios, who is generally credited either as the eponym of a mountain people from Elis, the Epeians or as the builder of the Trojan horse. This latter is usually portrayed as incapable of using weapons; conversely, he is described as a skilled craftsman and, first and foremost, as an expert on finding wood. His job as hylotomos, woodcutter, even before that as tekton, carpenter, closely link him to the mountain areas where his myth originated, that is, Elis bordering the mountains of Achaia and Arcadia, Phocis, the mountainous and hilly hinterland of the Ionian district. This is also an indirect evidence of his original environment, which helps to explains why Homer was the first to prejudice him and his story.