Abstract
“Adieu, Assyria! / I loved thee well”. These were the last words of king Sardanapalus, the last king of Assyria, according to Lord Byron. Throughout the centuries, Europe was confronted with the tragic story of Mesopotamia’s last monarch, a king more effeminate than a woman, a lascivious and idle man, a governor who loathed all expressions of militarism and war. But this story was no more than it proposed to be: a story, not history. Sardanapalus was not even real! The Greeks conceived him; artists, play writers, and cineastes preserved him.
Through the imaginative minds of early Modern and Modern historians, artists and dramaturgs, Sardanapalus’ legend endured well into the 20th-century in several different media. Even after the first excavations in Assyria, and the exhumation of its historical archives, where no king by the name of Sardanapalus was recorded, fantasy continued to surpass history.
Through the imaginative minds of early Modern and Modern historians, artists and dramaturgs, Sardanapalus’ legend endured well into the 20th-century in several different media. Even after the first excavations in Assyria, and the exhumation of its historical archives, where no king by the name of Sardanapalus was recorded, fantasy continued to surpass history.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Intelligence, Creativity and Fantasy |
| Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the 5th International Multidisciplinary Congress (PHI 2019), October 7-9, 2019, Paris, France |
| Editors | Mário S. Ming Kong, Maria do Rosário Monteiro, Maria João Pereira Neto |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | CRC Press |
| Pages | 328-334 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780429297755 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-0-367-27719-2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2019 |
| Event | 5th International Multidisciplinary Congress PHI 2019: “Intelligence, Creativity and Fantasy". - Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, France Duration: 7 Oct 2019 → 9 Oct 2019 Conference number: 5 http://phi.fa.ulisboa.pt/phi2019/index.php/en/ |
Publication series
| Name | PHI |
|---|---|
| Publisher | CRC Press |
Conference
| Conference | 5th International Multidisciplinary Congress PHI 2019: “Intelligence, Creativity and Fantasy". |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | Intelligence, Creativity and Fantasy |
| Country/Territory | France |
| City | Paris |
| Period | 7/10/19 → 9/10/19 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- ancient Assyria
- Reception of Antiquity
- Italian Cinema
- Mesopotamia
- Greek Mythology
- Opera