C. Calame, L'Éros dans la Grèce antique - Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

French Literature Reviews - 2026

C. Calame, L'Éros dans la Grèce antique
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

L'Eros dans la Grèce antique
Claude Calame

Published: 16/09/2009
Publisher: Belin
Series: Belin Poche
ISBN: 978-2-7011-5175-5
EAN: 9782701151755
Number of pages: 311 pages

Publisher's price: 8.00€

This book sets out to trace, along its multiple pathways, the profile of that force which the Hellenes divinized under the name of Eros, turning the mischievous young child into the paredros of Aphrodite.

Starting from a physiology of love, the study of the effects of Eros leads to an examination of the function of the poems and images that represent it, and subsequently to an exploration of the institutions it helps to sustain and the spheres in which it exercises its power to generate social relations. Reappropriated by philosophers and Orphic sects, Eros ultimately reveals itself to be the mediator of genuine initiatory journeys.

Contents:

TOPICS OF EROS
SYMBOLIC PRACTICES OF EROS
EROS IN INSTITUTIONS
SPACES OF EROS
METAPHYSICS OF EROS

About the author:

Director of Studies at EHESS, Claude Calame is the author of numerous works, including *Le Récit en Grèce ancienne* (Belin 2000).

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You can read an interview with the author on the blog of the Observatory of Sexual and Racial Issues.

In the study of classical antiquity, the figure of Eros occupies a place at the intersection of mythology, poetry, and social practice. Greek representations of love and desire frequently combined physiological conceptions with religious and civic dimensions, positioning divine forces within specific cultural frameworks. Scholars in the humanities have long examined how poetic texts and visual arts together constructed the values and relational structures of the ancient world. Claude Calame contributes to this broader tradition by analyzing how symbolic expressions of desire functioned within historical and institutional contexts across the Hellenic world.

Readers interested in the intersections of ancient Greek mythology, poetry, and social institutions may find this study relevant. The book sets out to trace, along its multiple pathways, the profile of that force which the Hellenes divinized under the name of Eros, turning the mischievous young child into the paredros of Aphrodite. Starting from a physiology of love, the study leads to an examination of the function of poems and images, exploring the institutions it helps to sustain and its later reappropriation by philosophers and Orphic sects.