The Concept of Color (χρῶμα)

A Greek Contribution to the Universal Culture

Abstract

Sensitivity to color and its use for expressive purposes is an anthropological universal. The peculiarity of Greek civilization within that general panorama, and more specifically within its own cultural development, consists in the effort invested in theoretically unraveling its nature. As part of this project, considering the adoption of certain terms in the first place is unavoidable, followed by exploring the gradual conceptual prioritization undertaken after a long trajectory that begins with the Homeric epic, has been consolidated since the dawn of philosophy, and concludes with the systematizing work of Aristotle. Finding the keys to this development is the purpose that prompts the writing of this article.