Amor
Omnia vincit amor et nos cedamus amori
(Virgilio, Bucoliche, X,69)
The word love it is used to communicate a wide range of feelings and emotions, which comprehend, among the others, a more general and “stable” form of affection but also a strong drive that can be expressed by an instinctive attraction and a true devotion towards the other, a passionate “self-denial” between people: many nuances that the ancient Greeks managed to acknowledge, thanks to the many possibilities offered by their language, distinguishing between eros (drive, passion that consumes totally), hìmeros (desire, lust), storgè (tenderness, love between family members), filìa(friendship, benevolence, mutual affection), agàpe (selflessness, brotherly love, compassion). Then again in the modern language it has been further characterized (let’s just think to the infinite “shades” of romantic love), also trough the use of adjectives (for example virginal, biblical, platonic, sensual, tormented love), pointing out how much the theme of love is recurrent in the history of western philosophy, object of a number of psychological and sociological theories, of theological and metaphysical speculations and ethical reflections.
Such a variety of uses and meanings for the term love and the complexity of the feelings that involve lovers can make particularly difficult to define it univocally in respect to other emotional states, even more if the historical and anthropological investigation looks also to non – western traditions. As is the case with the new edition of RomArché. Archaeology speaks (May 26th-28th, Parco Regionale dell’Appia antica, Ex Cartiera Latina) that, proposing a reflection on the theme Amor(Love), does not pretend to offer a thorough analysis – almost impossible to undertake – but tries to decipher the values behind the term, to highlight affinity and differences between distant worlds (and times). Keep reading
