The Ekphrasis on the Water Clock: Art, Rhetoric and Measurement of Time in Sixth-Century Gaza.

This paper discusses The Ekphrasis on the Water Clock, composed in the sixth century C.E. by Procopius of Gaza. It inspects three facets: 1. The Gaza clock against the background of other clocks in antiquity 2. The artwork of the theatrical display presented in the Gaza clock 3. The rhetoric of Proc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scripta Classica Israelica Vol. 44; pp. 1 - 33
Main Author: Talgam, Rina
Format: Article
Published: Israeli Society for the Promotion of Classical Studies 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: The Ekphrasis on the Water Clock: Art, Rhetoric and Measurement of Time in Sixth-Century Gaza.
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        au: Talgam, Rina
        affil: The Hebrew University of Jerusalm
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        Ekphrasis
        Clocks & watches
        Visual communication
        Time measurements
        Historical literacy
        Ancient literature
        Gaza City
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        subj:
          Gaza City
          Ekphrasis
          Clocks & watches
          Visual communication
          Time measurements
          Historical literacy
          Ancient literature
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        ekphrasis
        Heracles
        Procopius
        School of Gaza
        water clock
      ab: This paper discusses The Ekphrasis on the Water Clock, composed in the sixth century C.E. by Procopius of Gaza. It inspects three facets: 1. The Gaza clock against the background of other clocks in antiquity 2. The artwork of the theatrical display presented in the Gaza clock 3. The rhetoric of Procopius' ekphrasis. The Ekphrasis on the Water Clock exemplifies how the character of ekphrasis is adapted to the item that is described. It appears that Procopius chose to convey his impressions in an objective tone, out of concern that readers might question his credibility and presume the water clock to be an imaginary object. The Ekphrasis on the Water Clock testifies to the great importance of Gaza in the preservation of classical knowledge in Late Antiquity and in fostering this importance within the fields of literature, art, and technology.
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    language: English
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