The Judgment of Animals in Classical Greece: Animal Sculpture and ...

product of an artistic process,” “figural image,” and “image held by memory.” The
existence of these meanings within such an artistic context suggests that zw|~on can be
seen as part of the professional vocabulary of the arts in Classical Greece. In this way, a
word usually taken to mean “animal” appears to sit on one side of a linguistic duality,
while, on the other side, its completely different meanings in connection with the arts
reveal that animals, once again, offer an invaluable insight into the Classical Greek
understanding of representational art.
Although not directly connected to the previous chapters, this chapter maintains a
conceptual tie with them in that its focus on the semantic split in the meaning of the term
zw|~on is not far removed from the split into different types of deviations from naturalism
(inconsistency, incongruity, contradiction) that, as already noted, frame the style of
Classical Greek animal sculpture, as well as from the dichotomy that characterizes the
contemporary attitude towards animals.
1. The Etymology of Zw|~on
In his study of ancient Greek etymology, Pierre Chantraine considers the term
zw&ion and its contracted form—zw|~on—respective derivatives of the verb zw&w and its
contracted form zw~. According to him, this verb, which he translates as “to live,”
applies equally to human beings, animals and plants, and is employed also for
representations. He further explains that the uncontracted form—zw&w—is found in
Homer, whereas the contracted form—zw~—is characteristic of the Attic dialect. 337
Chantraine’s analysis of the linguistic history of the verb is in agreement with the earlier
337 P. Chantraine, Dictionnaire étymologique (Paris, 1968) 402, s.v. zw&ion and zw|~on, v. zw&w, zw~.
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