A chair for singing: the imagery of the aoidos from Mycenaean to Classical Age

Survey of iconographic and literary representations of the ‘seated aoidos’ from Mycenaean times down to the classical age. Behind this image it is possible to recognise several implications in the different periods, contexts and media of artistic representation. A trait common to the majority of the occurrences seems to be the emphasis on the performer himself, on his exceptional persona and on his technical ability (or even bravura), by which he is able to charm the public (this second aspect becomes particularly prominent in the second half of the 5th century BCE).