Dinner Speech: Ralf von den Hoff, Internal Senior Fellow, Archaeology: "Alexander's hair. Images, fashion and history."

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was a revolutionary figure for political rulership and monarchy in the ancient world and ancient visual culture: His painted and sculptured portraits transformed the image (and the established notion) of rulers and kings. The legacy of this transformation can be traced from Alexander's lifetime through the early modern period.
In particular, youth and a distinct arrangement of his long hair characterize Alexander's portraits. Why and how was this specific image created to represent a king? How did it shape later portraits? Did it become a 'fashion'? These are questions Classical Archaeology as the study of Greek and Roman visual culture has to address. The talk will outline methods and options of the interpretation of visual portraits (not only) in the ancient world.