The Apulian Cithara, a musical instrument of the Love Sphere: social and symbolic dimensions according to space representations

Abstract

This article consists of an interpretation of the iconography of the rectangular cithara, as represented in the Apulian vase-painting from the 4th cent. B.C. It focuses, as an interpretation key, on the space representation, classifying it in four possibilities: domestic space, transitional space, outdoor space and vague space. We analyze the meaning of this instrument concerning love, specifically its gender role as a male instrument in the Apulian erotic context.