45: Courtesans and Fish Plates

Pardon me sir, but do you have any garum? Slurp up a puddle of fermented fish guts with the Ancient Art Podcast! Episode 45 explores the decorative delights, culinary curiosities, and amorous affections of the ancient Greek world. While it packs a punch as an interesting cultural anomaly, the fish plate is an often-overlooked curiosity in the lineup of ancient Greece ceramics. In the 4th century BC, the ancient Greek appetite for fish blossomed as a culture phenomenon, an art form, and a borderline-clinical obsession, rich with sexual innuendos, double-meanings, and salacious undertones. While the fish plate remains somewhat subdued in the otherwise bawdy company at this episode's dinner table, it's always the quiet ones, who hide the secrets. What was the fish plate all about, after all? Explore more episodes, image galleries, credits, transcripts, and additional resources at http://ancientartpodcast.org. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.