Eἴδωλον and εἰκών. Two names and one problem with the representation of image in ancient Greece

Abstract

The following text is a revised version of a paper on the subject of image in Greek culture originally delivered at the Col·loquis de Vic in October of 2011. The text discusses the concept of image from its origins to Plato and Plotinus and reviews the state of the question regarding the most salient current positions on this problem. It also describes the semantic and philosophical issues of the notion of image-representation expressed in the words eidôlon and eikôn in dialogue, especially as these appear in the works of Jean-Luc Marion, Suzanne Saïd, Anca Vasiliu and Jean-Pierre Vernant. Finally, it highlights the relationship between the path of the image (mythos) and concept (logos), emphasizing their mutually complementary nature (Lluís Duch).

Key words: image-idol, image-icon, word, philosophy of the image, representation of the image in ancient Greece.