Presented by Dr Lavinia Foukara as part of the Centre for Classical Studies Seminar Series

Representations of Apollo, Leto and Artemis engaged in the performance of a libation in Attic vase paintings of the fifth century B.C. is the subject of the present paper. Previous studies focused mainly on Apollo and Artemis, often neglecting the function that Leto serves in the iconography. This study discusses the importance of Leto’s appearance among her children in this context and argues on the basis of literary, visual, epigraphic and archaeological evidence that her inclusion in this particular iconographical motif promotes the concept of family, and thereby, reinforces the kourotrophic function that Apollo and Artemis had in Attica as deities in charge for the well‐being of children. The study contributes to the ongoing discussion of the iconography and iconology of Attic vases, which enriches our understanding of Athenian socio‐political and religious life and of Greek culture, more generally.

Lavinia Foukara received her PhD in Classics (Classical Art and Archaeology) from the University of Edinburgh in 2014. She has taken part in archaeological excavations in Cyprus and Spain, including the University of Sydney archaeological excavations of the Paphos Theatre site. Her research interests focus on the archaeology, art and culture of the Greek world from Archaic through Hellenistic periods.