Paesaggio e descrizione dei luoghi nei trattati greci di retorica

The so-called ‘spatial turn’ has invaded classical studies by raising several fundamental questions on the real and symbolic conception of space in the ancient societies and in their cultural manifestations. Joining the debate on how space is represented in classical literature, the paper aims to explore a hitherto relatively neglected issue, namely the ancient rhetorical treatises in which rules are established on how places and landscapes are to be described and for which purposes. In particular, the paper deals with the Greek manuals of progymnasmata, in which the representation of places is discussed in relation to the treatment of ekphrasis (‘description’), and with the two treatises on epideictic speeches that go under the name of Menander Rhetor, in which several instructions on how, when, and why to insert descriptions of landscapes are provided.