Looking sideways and staring in Latin texts

This article presents some of the conclusions drawn from our research on eye gestures in Latin texts. This investigation is part of a broader study on gestures in Ancient Rome. We have established a classification of eye gestures that comprises two major categories based on the nature of the gestures: gestures that involve eyelid movements and those that consist of iris movements. This paper focuses on two gestures which belong to this second category: looking sideways and staring. We analyse the way these gestures were made, how they were referred to by Roman writers and the meanings that may be inferred from their use in literary texts. Adapted from the source document