ABSTRACT
Even before the end of the fourth century BC Sokrates had been awarded the status of a cultural icon, and his image remained a recognisable token of Hellenism throughout the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Starting off from the groves of the Academy as a satyr-faced old man he was later depicted in the guise of the serious philosopher and the respectable sage.1 The existence of these ‘alternative’ images side by side indicates that the Sokratic persona was the product of appropriation and negotiation on the part of successive generations of Greeks and that their dialogue with their own past is reflected in the way they constructed Sokrates’ portraits. The following questions arise: (a) How does the development of the relevant typology instantiate changes in the perception of the Athenian philosopher and what is his role in the fostering of collective identities? (b) Is there any space in modern consciousness for more than one ‘canonised’ image of Sokrates, and if so, how may they relate to each other? The present chapter tries to outline some possible answers to these questions. It is based on a close study of two works of art, executed in different media and at widely distant periods: a late antique/early Byzantine mosaic (c. 350-75) and a post-Byzantine wall painting (c. 1527-36). Both have played a significant role in introducing the midwife’s son to their respective audiences. The differing identities of these audiences and the diversity in the values that Sokrates stands for each time proves the flexibility of his image in the context of his persisting presence in Hellenic culture.
