When does wine become wine? Although recent scholars have claimed otherwise, it seems that the ea... more When does wine become wine? Although recent scholars have claimed otherwise, it seems that the early Greek poet and natural philosopher Empedocles thought wine already gained its essential properties, or became wine, within the vine itself. But did any ancient philosophers or scientists know better, or at least express themselves more clearly? As we will see, starting with Homer and going all the way through to the 18 th and 19 th century, the dominant view in the European tradition was in fact that wine becomes wine already in the vine. (Things seem to have been different in China at least, as we will also see.) But didn't anyone notice that grape juice doesn't get you tipsy? And how did they explain wine's power anyway? Join us to find out!
(A longer version of this talk will be presented in the Phusis kai Phuta seminar on Dec. 16, 2022, and a shorter version in the Phusis kai Phuta panel at the SCS meeting, Jan. 8, 2023.)
Abstract for GRBS: In Empedocles’ “wine is water from bark, rotten in wood,” the reference is not... more Abstract for GRBS: In Empedocles’ “wine is water from bark, rotten in wood,” the reference is not to a wooden cask but to the grapevine itself, in which wine was thought to form naturally.
From the Introduction (164–165): "The main argument of this paper is that Empedocles held that water becomes wine already within the living wood of the vine. Prior scholars have registered this doctrine in Empedocles and elsewhere, but, to my knowledge, no attempt has been made to collect and analyze the evidence in order to establish this conclusively for fr.81 or for the broader tradition. We begin with a preliminary discussion of the fragment and a review of its modern and ancient interpretations (§2). The hypothesis that the “wood” is the vine will gain credibility through relevant aspects of Empedocles’ thought (§3). Further support will come from proof that he was far from alone in this regard (§4). Corroborated by many parallels, our solution to fr.81 will also illuminate vexed passages in Homer and Euripides, not to mention less debated ones in many other authors. As we shall see, the notion that wine assumes its proper nature already in the vine, and its corollary, that fermentation after pressing does not change the wine’s nature, are surprisingly widespread and persistent even into the eighteenth century. Study of fr.81 thus uncovers a deeply rooted conception that persisted well into the modern period, echoing still in Goethe."
In Empedocles’ painters simile of fr. 23 DK, the painters are modified by three dual participles,... more In Empedocles’ painters simile of fr. 23 DK, the painters are modified by three dual participles, formerly taken by most scholars to be “false” duals (for plural) like the analogous dual participle in fr. 137 DK. Many recent scholars, however, have agreed that they are true duals indicating two painters, and have allegorized those two painters as representing Love and Strife in some manner, or a demiurgic Love’s two hands. Against that new consensus, this article collects evidence for false dual forms as a poetic license of the hexameter tradition from Homer onward. It is argued that Empedocles’ duals are a fruit of that same tradition; that the painters are not a twosome, but an indefinite plurality; and, finally, that they are not an allegorical representation of Love, although the duals of frr. 23 and 137 do seem to highlight a shared connection with fr. 128 DK and Empedocles’ golden age of Aphrodite.
The syllabus for a course taught at the University of Chicago as the Classics Department's annual... more The syllabus for a course taught at the University of Chicago as the Classics Department's annual Ephron Course, supported by a special teaching fellowship. I designed the course myself, with generous guidance from my advisor, Liz Asmis, and others—and much inspiration from friends and students, especially Charles Ro (now a PhD candidate at UPenn).
This useful document was originally created and maintained by my teacher, Lowell Edmunds.
UPD... more This useful document was originally created and maintained by my teacher, Lowell Edmunds.
Syllabus for the pre-conference seminar of the Fifth International Symposium on the Heritage of W... more Syllabus for the pre-conference seminar of the Fifth International Symposium on the Heritage of Western Greece, with a special emphasis on ἀγών.
For the conference "Matter in Ancient Philosophy" at the Collegio Ghislieri, Pavia, 21 October 20... more For the conference "Matter in Ancient Philosophy" at the Collegio Ghislieri, Pavia, 21 October 2021.
This paper will be presented in the annual conference of the Society for Classical Studies on Jan... more This paper will be presented in the annual conference of the Society for Classical Studies on January 7, 2021. A fuller treatment is forthcoming. The abstract can also be found on the SCS website, linked below.
This is the handout for a presentation given January 7, 2021 at the Society for Classical Studies... more This is the handout for a presentation given January 7, 2021 at the Society for Classical Studies. A fuller treatment is forthcoming.
1 Empedocles on Language, Nature and Learning: or, Empedocles on Nomos Claims: 1) νόµῳ should be ... more 1 Empedocles on Language, Nature and Learning: or, Empedocles on Nomos Claims: 1) νόµῳ should be kept in B9.5, and οὐ discarded; 2) Empedocles' linguistic conventionalism is predicated upon a positive conception of νόµος as the result of the persistent growing together of the roots under the lingering influence of Love.
This is the abstract for a presentation given in the conference titled "The Weight of Antiquity: ... more This is the abstract for a presentation given in the conference titled "The Weight of Antiquity: Early Modern Classicisms," at the University of Chicago, 23 February 2019, together with the poster designed by the organizers in the Art History Department. I hope to return to this; any inquiries are welcome.
This is a draft of the third chapter of my dissertation. All comments and criticism are welcome! ... more This is a draft of the third chapter of my dissertation. All comments and criticism are welcome! Please email me at lwash@uchicago.edu
This is a draft translation I prepared for my own study and to share with students of the class I... more This is a draft translation I prepared for my own study and to share with students of the class I taught, "Imagining Nature among the Greeks" (syllabus available below). Comments are welcome.
When does wine become wine? Although recent scholars have claimed otherwise, it seems that the ea... more When does wine become wine? Although recent scholars have claimed otherwise, it seems that the early Greek poet and natural philosopher Empedocles thought wine already gained its essential properties, or became wine, within the vine itself. But did any ancient philosophers or scientists know better, or at least express themselves more clearly? As we will see, starting with Homer and going all the way through to the 18 th and 19 th century, the dominant view in the European tradition was in fact that wine becomes wine already in the vine. (Things seem to have been different in China at least, as we will also see.) But didn't anyone notice that grape juice doesn't get you tipsy? And how did they explain wine's power anyway? Join us to find out!
(A longer version of this talk will be presented in the Phusis kai Phuta seminar on Dec. 16, 2022, and a shorter version in the Phusis kai Phuta panel at the SCS meeting, Jan. 8, 2023.)
Abstract for GRBS: In Empedocles’ “wine is water from bark, rotten in wood,” the reference is not... more Abstract for GRBS: In Empedocles’ “wine is water from bark, rotten in wood,” the reference is not to a wooden cask but to the grapevine itself, in which wine was thought to form naturally.
From the Introduction (164–165): "The main argument of this paper is that Empedocles held that water becomes wine already within the living wood of the vine. Prior scholars have registered this doctrine in Empedocles and elsewhere, but, to my knowledge, no attempt has been made to collect and analyze the evidence in order to establish this conclusively for fr.81 or for the broader tradition. We begin with a preliminary discussion of the fragment and a review of its modern and ancient interpretations (§2). The hypothesis that the “wood” is the vine will gain credibility through relevant aspects of Empedocles’ thought (§3). Further support will come from proof that he was far from alone in this regard (§4). Corroborated by many parallels, our solution to fr.81 will also illuminate vexed passages in Homer and Euripides, not to mention less debated ones in many other authors. As we shall see, the notion that wine assumes its proper nature already in the vine, and its corollary, that fermentation after pressing does not change the wine’s nature, are surprisingly widespread and persistent even into the eighteenth century. Study of fr.81 thus uncovers a deeply rooted conception that persisted well into the modern period, echoing still in Goethe."
In Empedocles’ painters simile of fr. 23 DK, the painters are modified by three dual participles,... more In Empedocles’ painters simile of fr. 23 DK, the painters are modified by three dual participles, formerly taken by most scholars to be “false” duals (for plural) like the analogous dual participle in fr. 137 DK. Many recent scholars, however, have agreed that they are true duals indicating two painters, and have allegorized those two painters as representing Love and Strife in some manner, or a demiurgic Love’s two hands. Against that new consensus, this article collects evidence for false dual forms as a poetic license of the hexameter tradition from Homer onward. It is argued that Empedocles’ duals are a fruit of that same tradition; that the painters are not a twosome, but an indefinite plurality; and, finally, that they are not an allegorical representation of Love, although the duals of frr. 23 and 137 do seem to highlight a shared connection with fr. 128 DK and Empedocles’ golden age of Aphrodite.
The syllabus for a course taught at the University of Chicago as the Classics Department's annual... more The syllabus for a course taught at the University of Chicago as the Classics Department's annual Ephron Course, supported by a special teaching fellowship. I designed the course myself, with generous guidance from my advisor, Liz Asmis, and others—and much inspiration from friends and students, especially Charles Ro (now a PhD candidate at UPenn).
This useful document was originally created and maintained by my teacher, Lowell Edmunds.
UPD... more This useful document was originally created and maintained by my teacher, Lowell Edmunds.
Syllabus for the pre-conference seminar of the Fifth International Symposium on the Heritage of W... more Syllabus for the pre-conference seminar of the Fifth International Symposium on the Heritage of Western Greece, with a special emphasis on ἀγών.
For the conference "Matter in Ancient Philosophy" at the Collegio Ghislieri, Pavia, 21 October 20... more For the conference "Matter in Ancient Philosophy" at the Collegio Ghislieri, Pavia, 21 October 2021.
This paper will be presented in the annual conference of the Society for Classical Studies on Jan... more This paper will be presented in the annual conference of the Society for Classical Studies on January 7, 2021. A fuller treatment is forthcoming. The abstract can also be found on the SCS website, linked below.
This is the handout for a presentation given January 7, 2021 at the Society for Classical Studies... more This is the handout for a presentation given January 7, 2021 at the Society for Classical Studies. A fuller treatment is forthcoming.
1 Empedocles on Language, Nature and Learning: or, Empedocles on Nomos Claims: 1) νόµῳ should be ... more 1 Empedocles on Language, Nature and Learning: or, Empedocles on Nomos Claims: 1) νόµῳ should be kept in B9.5, and οὐ discarded; 2) Empedocles' linguistic conventionalism is predicated upon a positive conception of νόµος as the result of the persistent growing together of the roots under the lingering influence of Love.
This is the abstract for a presentation given in the conference titled "The Weight of Antiquity: ... more This is the abstract for a presentation given in the conference titled "The Weight of Antiquity: Early Modern Classicisms," at the University of Chicago, 23 February 2019, together with the poster designed by the organizers in the Art History Department. I hope to return to this; any inquiries are welcome.
This is a draft of the third chapter of my dissertation. All comments and criticism are welcome! ... more This is a draft of the third chapter of my dissertation. All comments and criticism are welcome! Please email me at lwash@uchicago.edu
This is a draft translation I prepared for my own study and to share with students of the class I... more This is a draft translation I prepared for my own study and to share with students of the class I taught, "Imagining Nature among the Greeks" (syllabus available below). Comments are welcome.
Uploads
Talks
(A longer version of this talk will be presented in the Phusis kai Phuta seminar on Dec. 16, 2022, and a shorter version in the Phusis kai Phuta panel at the SCS meeting, Jan. 8, 2023.)
Papers
From the Introduction (164–165): "The main argument of this paper is that Empedocles held that water becomes wine already within the living wood of the vine. Prior scholars have registered this doctrine in Empedocles and elsewhere, but, to my knowledge, no attempt has been made to collect and analyze the evidence in order to establish this conclusively for fr.81 or for the broader tradition. We begin with a preliminary discussion of the fragment and a review of its modern and ancient interpretations (§2). The hypothesis that the “wood” is the vine will gain credibility through relevant aspects of Empedocles’ thought (§3). Further support will come from proof that he was far from alone in this regard (§4). Corroborated by many parallels, our solution to fr.81 will also illuminate vexed passages in Homer and Euripides, not to mention less debated ones in many other authors. As we shall see, the notion that wine assumes its proper nature already in the vine, and its corollary, that fermentation after pressing does not change the wine’s nature, are surprisingly widespread and persistent even into the eighteenth century. Study of fr.81 thus uncovers a deeply rooted conception that persisted well into the modern period, echoing still in Goethe."
https://doi.org/10.1080/00397679.2023.2274228
Teaching Documents
UPDATED 24 MAY 2023
Conference Presentations
https://classicalstudies.org/annual-meeting/152/abstract/nietzsches-philology-ephexis-interpretation
Upcoming conferences
Thesis Chapters
Book Reviews
Drafts
(A longer version of this talk will be presented in the Phusis kai Phuta seminar on Dec. 16, 2022, and a shorter version in the Phusis kai Phuta panel at the SCS meeting, Jan. 8, 2023.)
From the Introduction (164–165): "The main argument of this paper is that Empedocles held that water becomes wine already within the living wood of the vine. Prior scholars have registered this doctrine in Empedocles and elsewhere, but, to my knowledge, no attempt has been made to collect and analyze the evidence in order to establish this conclusively for fr.81 or for the broader tradition. We begin with a preliminary discussion of the fragment and a review of its modern and ancient interpretations (§2). The hypothesis that the “wood” is the vine will gain credibility through relevant aspects of Empedocles’ thought (§3). Further support will come from proof that he was far from alone in this regard (§4). Corroborated by many parallels, our solution to fr.81 will also illuminate vexed passages in Homer and Euripides, not to mention less debated ones in many other authors. As we shall see, the notion that wine assumes its proper nature already in the vine, and its corollary, that fermentation after pressing does not change the wine’s nature, are surprisingly widespread and persistent even into the eighteenth century. Study of fr.81 thus uncovers a deeply rooted conception that persisted well into the modern period, echoing still in Goethe."
https://doi.org/10.1080/00397679.2023.2274228
UPDATED 24 MAY 2023
https://classicalstudies.org/annual-meeting/152/abstract/nietzsches-philology-ephexis-interpretation