The modern viewer is familiar with winged human figures in pictures, above all angels. Winged figures are also frequent on Greek vases. However, here, they must be seen in a very different cultural and, above all, religious context. What is their meaning in these contexts, and what does this tell us about how the pictures are to be understood overall? By trying to find answers to these questions, the books tells us a great deal about how the ancient Greeks saw the world and their role in it, and how they understood their relationship with the gods.
The modern viewer is familiar with winged human figures in pictures, above all angels. Winged figures are also frequent on Greek vases. However, he...