Ancient physiognomy before the Physiognomonicsedit
Although Physiognomonics is the earliest work surviving in Greek devoted to the subject, texts preserved on clay tablets provide evidence of physiognomy manuals from the First Babylonian dynasty, containing divinatory case studies of the ominous significance of various bodily dispositions. At this point physiognomy is "a specific, already theorized, branch of knowledge" and the heir of a long-developed technical tradition.[4]
While loosely physiognomic ways of thinking are present in Greek literature as early as Homer, physiognomy proper is not known before the classical period. The term physiognomonia first appears in the fifth-century BC Hippocratic treatise Epidemics (II.5.1). Physiognomy was mentioned in a work by Antisthenes on the Sophists, which provides evidence of its recognition as an art (techne).[4]
In Aristotle's time, physiognomics was acknowledged as an art (techne) with its own skilled practitioners (technitai), as we see from a reference in Generation of Animals (IV.3):[4]
Then people say that the child has the head of a ram or a bull, and so on with other animals, as that a calf has the head of a child or a sheep that of an ox. All these monsters result from the causes stated above, but they are none of the things they are said to be; there is only some similarity, such as may arise even where there is no defect of growth. Hence often jesters compare someone who is not beautiful to a goat breathing fire, or again to a ram butting, and a certain physiognomist reduced all faces to those of two or three animals, and his arguments often prevailed on people. (trans. Pratt rev. Barnes)
Already in antiquity, physiognomy's pretensions to a "scientific" foundation were questioned and debated. It had connections to medicine, but also to magic and divination.[4]
The treatiseedit
Structure and contentedit
The treatise is divided into sections on theory (805a1-808b10) and method (808b11-814b9). The connections between bodily features and character are treated in detail, cataloguing, for example, twelve kinds of nose, and the distinctive features of the cinaedus.[5]
Connections to Aristotleedit
The pseudo-Aristotelian treatise begins with an allusion to Aristotle's Prior Analytics (II.27, on the body-soul correlation), and many of the physiognomic connections discussed are mentioned specifically in the History of Animals.[5]
Influenceedit
The author's systematic scheme of physiognomic relationships was not adopted by later writers on the subject; the proliferation of incompatible teachings had "the cumulative effect of undermining the authority of the profession as a whole."[5]
Notesedit
^Ahonen, Marke (2014), Knuuttila, Simo; Sihvola, Juha (eds.), "Ancient Physiognomy", Sourcebook for the History of the Philosophy of Mind: Philosophical Psychology from Plato to Kant, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 623–631, doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6967-0_38, ISBN978-94-007-6967-0, retrieved 2024-03-30
^Evans, Elizabeth C. (1969). "Physiognomics in the Ancient World". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 59 (5): 1–101. doi:10.2307/1006011. ISSN 0065-9746.
^Porter, Martin (2005). Windows of the Soul: Physiognomy in European Culture 1470-1780. Oxford University Press. p. 121. ISBN978-0-19-153483-6.
English translation of E.S. Forster and T. Loveday in The Works of Aristotle, Oxford, 1913
January 01, 1970
physiognomonics, greek, Φυσιογνωμονικά, latin, physiognomonica, ancient, greek, pseudo, aristotelian, treatise, physiognomy, attributed, aristotle, part, corpus, aristotelicum, peripatetic, work, dated, century, contents, ancient, physiognomy, before, treatise. Physiognomonics Greek Fysiognwmonika Latin Physiognomonica is a Ancient Greek pseudo Aristotelian treatise on physiognomy attributed to Aristotle and part of the Corpus Aristotelicum It is a Peripatetic work 1 dated to the 4th 3rd century BC 2 3 Contents 1 Ancient physiognomy before the Physiognomonics 2 The treatise 2 1 Structure and content 2 2 Connections to Aristotle 2 3 Influence 3 Notes 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksAncient physiognomy before the Physiognomonics editAlthough Physiognomonics is the earliest work surviving in Greek devoted to the subject texts preserved on clay tablets provide evidence of physiognomy manuals from the First Babylonian dynasty containing divinatory case studies of the ominous significance of various bodily dispositions At this point physiognomy is a specific already theorized branch of knowledge and the heir of a long developed technical tradition 4 While loosely physiognomic ways of thinking are present in Greek literature as early as Homer physiognomy proper is not known before the classical period The term physiognomonia first appears in the fifth century BC Hippocratic treatise Epidemics II 5 1 Physiognomy was mentioned in a work by Antisthenes on the Sophists which provides evidence of its recognition as an art techne 4 In Aristotle s time physiognomics was acknowledged as an art techne with its own skilled practitioners technitai as we see from a reference in Generation of Animals IV 3 4 Then people say that the child has the head of a ram or a bull and so on with other animals as that a calf has the head of a child or a sheep that of an ox All these monsters result from the causes stated above but they are none of the things they are said to be there is only some similarity such as may arise even where there is no defect of growth Hence often jesters compare someone who is not beautiful to a goat breathing fire or again to a ram butting and a certain physiognomist reduced all faces to those of two or three animals and his arguments often prevailed on people trans Pratt rev Barnes Already in antiquity physiognomy s pretensions to a scientific foundation were questioned and debated It had connections to medicine but also to magic and divination 4 The treatise editStructure and content edit The treatise is divided into sections on theory 805a1 808b10 and method 808b11 814b9 The connections between bodily features and character are treated in detail cataloguing for example twelve kinds of nose and the distinctive features of the cinaedus 5 Connections to Aristotle edit The pseudo Aristotelian treatise begins with an allusion to Aristotle s Prior Analytics II 27 on the body soul correlation and many of the physiognomic connections discussed are mentioned specifically in the History of Animals 5 Influence edit The author s systematic scheme of physiognomic relationships was not adopted by later writers on the subject the proliferation of incompatible teachings had the cumulative effect of undermining the authority of the profession as a whole 5 Notes edit Ahonen Marke 2014 Knuuttila Simo Sihvola Juha eds Ancient Physiognomy Sourcebook for the History of the Philosophy of Mind Philosophical Psychology from Plato to Kant Dordrecht Springer Netherlands pp 623 631 doi 10 1007 978 94 007 6967 0 38 ISBN 978 94 007 6967 0 retrieved 2024 03 30 Evans Elizabeth C 1969 Physiognomics in the Ancient World Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 59 5 1 101 doi 10 2307 1006011 ISSN 0065 9746 Porter Martin 2005 Windows of the Soul Physiognomy in European Culture 1470 1780 Oxford University Press p 121 ISBN 978 0 19 153483 6 a b c d Raina Introduction a b c Brennan References editT Corey Brennan Review Aristoteles Physiognomonica edited by S Vogt Classical World 99 2 2006 pp 202 203 Giampiera Raina trans and comm Pseudo Aristotele Fisiognomica Anonimo Latino Il trattato di fisiognomica 2nd ed Milan Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli 1994 Further reading editSabine Vogt trans and comm Aristoteles Physiognomonica Berlin Akademie Verlag 1999 ISBN 3 05 003487 4External links edit nbsp Greek Wikisource has original text related to this article Fysiognwmonika Greek texts Immanuel Bekker s text available via Greco interattivo Richard Foerster s 1893 Teubner edition via Google Books nbsp Opuscula public domain audiobook at LibriVox English translation of E S Forster and T Loveday in The Works of Aristotle Oxford 1913 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Physiognomonics amp oldid 1216385869, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
