(Dis)continuities in dream narratives: on δοκέω in Artemidorus’ Oneirocritica

In Ancient Greek, the use of the verb δοκέω to denote dream activity reflects a long-standing tradition found in both literary and epigraphic sources, from the Classical to the Post-Classical periods. By comparing a corpus of Classical dream narratives (in tragedy and Herodotus) with Post-Classical sources such as Artemidorus’ Oneirocritica and Plutarch’s Lives, this paper argues that the persistent use of δοκέω does not correspond to a consistent representation of dreams across the centuries. Discontinuities appear in syntax, along with discourse semantic correlates, which play a crucial role in shaping both the dream scene and the dreamer’s involvement within it.