Durevolezza e plasticità : il metallo nell'immaginario ateniese

This study investigates the intersection of metallurgy, political power, and collective memory in classical and early Hellenistic Athens. Emphasizing the dual qualities of metal – durability and malleability – it examines how metallurgical imagery shaped both mythological narratives and political practices. Particular attention is devoted to episodes of late 4th-century BCE iconoclasm, in which bronze statues of discredited figures were ritually dismantled and refashioned, rather than merely eliminated. These practices are interpreted within an ‘anthropology of destruction’, where the transformative potential of bronze enabled not only the reconfiguration of public space but also the symbolic rearticulation of civic identity in moments of crisis and transition.