I enjoyed this post and all your work so far. I would point out that Antisthenes, an older disciple of Socrates said to be a rival of Plato, wrote a work responsive to Plato called ‘Sathōn’ or ‘Little Dick’. This rather suggests that Aristocles’ nickname (‘Broad’, ‘Platōn’) also refers to this part of his anatomy. It seems unlikely to me that foreheads or stooped shoulders would inspire nicknames from youth. It should be remembered that unlike our own, and boys in most of their contemporary cultures, Athenian boys were regularly without clothes in the gymnasium (‘school’, but literally a place of nudity). It seems more likely that such a nickname would have originated amongst naked young wrestlers, who unusually in our context did not belong to a culture pathologically repressive of the phallus, to the point where it must not be seen at all costs. In Athens, an unusual one might well have been identifying in a friendly way.
This was a great read, I particularly enjoyed the anecdote about Goethe standing before The School of Athens. I'd not heard that one before! Anyone who is keen on the Classics is gonna love this essay, but the broader point about our relationship with the past is nourishing food for thought for anyone. Well done!
Very entertaining post, as usual. After AP David's post I may never think of Plato the same way again.
I enjoyed this post and all your work so far. I would point out that Antisthenes, an older disciple of Socrates said to be a rival of Plato, wrote a work responsive to Plato called ‘Sathōn’ or ‘Little Dick’. This rather suggests that Aristocles’ nickname (‘Broad’, ‘Platōn’) also refers to this part of his anatomy. It seems unlikely to me that foreheads or stooped shoulders would inspire nicknames from youth. It should be remembered that unlike our own, and boys in most of their contemporary cultures, Athenian boys were regularly without clothes in the gymnasium (‘school’, but literally a place of nudity). It seems more likely that such a nickname would have originated amongst naked young wrestlers, who unusually in our context did not belong to a culture pathologically repressive of the phallus, to the point where it must not be seen at all costs. In Athens, an unusual one might well have been identifying in a friendly way.
That’s a great point that I hadn’t come across or considered. Thanks for sharing!
This was a great read, I particularly enjoyed the anecdote about Goethe standing before The School of Athens. I'd not heard that one before! Anyone who is keen on the Classics is gonna love this essay, but the broader point about our relationship with the past is nourishing food for thought for anyone. Well done!