Echoes of Ancient Volcanic Representations: a Geo-Mythological Approach
(2020) Physis : rivista internazionale di storia della scienza — Vol. 40, n° 1-2, p. 517 (2020)
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- Authors
Lancini, Loredana 
- Abstract
- Reflections, studies, and observations on volcanic phenomena, especially about Etna, and their consequences on natural and human landscapes can be traced back to early moments of Greek colonization on Sicily. Hesiod (8th-7th c. BC) was the first to mention the myth of the battle between Zeus and Typhon, which conceals the memory of an ancient volcanic eruption. This very same narrative motif is echoed in the production of later authors wherein a description of Etna’s volcanic eruptions is recognizable. The character of Typhon can be found in other volcanic contexts as well, thus becoming a topos alluding to volcanic activity. These considerations demonstrate an archaic aptitude in representing and explaining nature through myth, whose suggestive language permits to encode memories of real events. Defined as ‘geomythology,’ this methodological approach will be employed to analyse the figure of Typhon and its connection with Mount Etna, which will allow new insights into the analysis of ancient volcanic representations.
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Citations
Lancini, L. (2020). Echoes of Ancient Volcanic Representations: a Geo-Mythological Approach. Physis : rivista internazionale di storia della scienza, 40(1-2), 517. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/239651 (Original work published 2020)