Kore pudica and Kore orgiastica. Flavia Zisa's studies in a conference at the MArRC

OnSaturday, July 6, 2019, at 9 p.m., on the terrace of the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria, there will be a lecture given by Flavia Zisa, professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Studies “Kore” in Enna, on the topic Kore pudica and Kore orgiastica: the two girls of Hades. The meeting is part of Summer Nights at the MArRC 2019.

The scholar will present the results of research on theiconography of Kore-Persephone, particularly on materials found in thearea of ancient Locri. The tradition of the figurative narrative of Kore’s abduction by Hades, according to the archaeologist , underwent a reworking over the centuries, until, at a specific historical moment, at the end of the fourth century B.C., a choice was made that imposed itself over time until it replaced the previous image. The narrative of violent rape prevailed, in the depiction of naked Kore, taken against will from the earthly world, and thus, orgiastic Kore, instead of consensual love. The figure of demure Kore, consenting to the relationship with the lord of the underworld, will be crystallized in a single scene, until it is reduced to a single icon, splendid and scenic. As the scholar explains, the orgiastic Kore will prove victorious over an originally much more complex and articulated cultic dimension.

“The figure of this girl-goddess has changed a lot in art history. The best known is the Bernian one of the Rape of Persephone, in the narrative of her abduction in a sudden act of Hades. The artifacts in the Archaeological Museum of Reggio depict Kore clothed and tell us another story: it was rather a ”love fuitina,“ to use a Sicilian expression; the girl was consenting and it was a love marriage,” says Flavia Zisa.

“For this year’s program of summer events on the terrace, we thought to give space to scholars of archaeology and ancient history, to present their research in a highly suggestive context, such as the strategic overlook of the Strait, for a diverse audience to be approached to complex and specialized topics in an informative and engaging way,” said the museum’s director, Carmelo Malacrino.

The conference is in collaboration with the International Writers’ Center of Calabria.

For info: www.museoarcheologicoreggiocalabria.it

Image: Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Rape of Proserpine (1621-1622; Rome, Galleria Borghese)

Kore pudica and Kore orgiastica. Flavia Zisa's studies in a conference at the MArRC

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