The Sather Lectures presented by Dr. Tonio Hölscher: Visual Power in Ancient Greece and Rome

The Sather Chair of Classical Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the most celebrated appointments in classical scholarship. Since 1914, 92 distinguished visitors have spent a term on the Berkeley campus and, among many other activities, have delivered a series of lectures on a topic of their choice.

During the 2006–07 academic year, Dr. Tonio Hölscher, professor of classical archaeology at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, is the Sather Professor. Dr. Hölscher will present five of his Sather Lectures, which focus on visual power in ancient Greece and Rome, at the Getty Villa.

Greek and Roman culture was heavily based on visuality. While classical scholarship has traditionally concentrated on language and literature, the visual culture of antiquity has often been reduced to the aesthetic aspects of figural art. Dr. Hölscher's lectures attempt to explore the power of visuality in various realms of Greek and Roman life: rituals and urbanism, memory and monuments, person and appearance, reality and re-production, and, finally, living with images.

Space, Action, Image and Reception: Public Rituals and Urban Architecture
Date: Thursday, March 22, 2007
Time: 8:00 p.m.; reception to follow
Location: Auditorium, Getty Villa
Admision: Free; a ticket is required.

This lecture explores the visual impact of public actions within public spaces of Greek and Roman cities, focusing on religious rituals, such as processions, and political acts, such as citizens' assemblies and state ceremonies, in classical Athens and imperial Rome.

Time, Memory, and Image: Public Monuments and the Danger of Collective Identity
and
Person, Identity and Image: Public Roles and the Appeal of the Individual
Date: Friday, March 23, 2007
Time: 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.; reception to follow
Location: Office Building Meeting Rooms, Getty Villa
Admision: Free; a ticket is required.

Images and Social Interaction: The Life of Artifacts
and
Images and the Order of Things: Towards a Theory of decorum
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Location: Office Building Meeting Rooms, Getty Villa
Admision: Free; a ticket is required.

How to Get Here
The Getty Villa is located at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, approximately 25 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. See Hours, Directions, Parking for directions and parking information.